The NBA is back in full swing following the pause for All-Star festivities, but both the Minnesota Timberwolves and Portland Trail Blazers are looking to settle back in. Both teams are 1-1 since the break with postseason seeding becoming an increasingly crucial motivator — with the Wolves trying to rise in the bracket’s top half and the Blazers seeking to get above .500.
Here’s a Timberwolves vs. Trail Blazers prediction and pick on DraftKings Sportsbook for Tuesday’s game.
Timberwolves vs. Trail Blazers prediction, preview
Minnesota Timberwolves
The T-Wolves are 35-23, sitting tied with the Lakers in the middle of the Western Conference standings. Just one game separates both of these teams from third place, so things are largely neck-and-neck in the middle of the pack. While Minnesota beat Dallas 122-111 coming out of the break, falling to the Sixers 108-135 in the following game was a disappointing outcome at a time when getting back into a rhythm is key.
The Wolves are eighth in the NBA in NETRTG at +4.4, also sitting 10th in pace. They’re an outright dominant offense, scoring 119.5 PPG with some of the league’s most efficient shooting marks — a 48.3% FG% ranks fourth-best while a 37.4% 3P% ranks fifth overall. Minnesota averages 26.4 assists with a 1.807 AST/TO ratio, while the team is also ninth in rebounding with 44.9 per contest. The defense is also strong, albeit not quite to the level of the offense, allowing 115.0 PPG with the fourth-most blocks and 11th-most steals.
Superstar Anthony Edwards has posted a pair of big games since the season resumed with 40 and 28 points across his last two outings, pacing the roster with 29.5 PPG on the year and efficient shooting splits. Julius Randle is second on the team with 22.1 points, also pitching in across the board with 6.9 rebounds and 5.3 assists. Jaden McDaniels brings 14.9 points with a stellar 44.0% 3P% and Donte DiVincenzo averages 12.7 points and 4.2 assists. Rudy Gobert’s play has also been excellent with an NBA-best 70.6% FG%, 11.2 points and 11.3 rebounds. Finally, trade-deadline add Ayo Dosunmu has made an instant impact with 12.2 points off the bench.
On the injury report, big man Naz Reid (shoulder) is questionable to play.
Portland Trail Blazers
The Trail Blazers just can’t seem to claw their way back to .500 no matter how hard they fight. Portland sits 28-30 overall at ninth in the conference, and while it’s going to be tough to fall out of the Play-In Tournament entirely, it’s still preferable for the group to stay as high in the standings as possible for an easier potential path into the playoffs. The Blazers were blown out 157-103 by the Nuggets coming out of the break, but did win a gross one against the Suns 92-77 in their last game.
Portland falls 21st in NETRTG at -2.5, playing an up-tempo style at seventh in pace. The Trail Blazers average 115.7 PPG but are one of the league’s least efficient teams with just a 45.2% FG% and 34.0% 3P%, both of which are bottom-three marks in the NBA. In terms of playmaking, they record the fourth-fewest assists with 24.7 and a 1.424 AST/TO ratio is worst of any team in the league. While largely ineffective on defense with 118.2 PPG allowed to opponents, the Blazers are an elite rebounding team with 45.9 per game, tied for fifth-most with the Knicks.
The injury report lists star forward Deni Avdija (back) and young guard Shaedon Sharpe (calf) as out tonight, leaving this roster quite depleted in terms of scoring without its top-two leaders in PPG.
Veteran Jerami Grant leads available players with 18.5 PPG while fellow vet Jrue Holiday contributes 15.5 points and 6.3 assists as well. They’ll likely play larger roles than usual tonight, as could young center Donovan Clingan, who averages an 11.9-point, 11.5-rebound double-double in just 27.5 minutes a night. Scoot Henderson has recently made his way back into the lineup after missing most of the season due to injury, and he’s averaged 13.0 points with 5.2 assists across his six appearances. Two-way forward Toumani Camara posts 13.0 points and 5.4 rebounds as well.
Timberwolves vs. Trail Blazers pick, best bet
DraftKings Sportsbook lists the Timberwolves as -6.5 road favorites tonight with -265 odds on the Moneyline. The Trail Blazers are listed at +215 on the ML with the game total set at 236.5 combined points.
Frankly, the situation doesn’t bode well for Portland tonight with Avdija ruled out. The Trail Blazers are just 5-5 when he doesn’t play this season and have been held under 100 points in three of those contests, and they once again stayed under that mark against Phoenix on Sunday when he exited the contest early. The offense clearly takes a hit without its primary scorer and facilitator with a 115.8 OFFRTG with him on the floor and 105.9 OFFRTG without. The absence of Sharpe also means the team is missing a combined 45.8 PPG between he and Avdija. Seeking offense from other sources can work sometimes, but against a very solid defense like the Timberwolves, scoring may be a difficult task.
Against a Portland defense that’s already porous to begin with, there’s no reason that Edwards and the T-Wolves can’t turn this game into an utter blowout. These teams met on February 11 as Minnesota dominated 133-109, and a prior game back on October 22 ended in a 118-114 win for the Wolves as well. Avdija played in both of those, so you can do the math on how this one will end. With him sidelined and the Timberwolves already a far better roster, this spread should be way further apart between the two sides. Given that consideration, an alt line feels like a prudent play.
Top pick: MIN Timberwolves -9.5 (+132)
