The NBA action on Friday night concludes with a Western Conference battle between the Minnesota Timberwolves and a depleted Golden State Warriors squad working to find an identity in the absence of its star. These teams squared off three times already this season, with the Wolves taking two of the matchups thus far. Will a similar result play out tonight on the West Coast?
Here’s a Timberwolves vs. Warriors prediction and pick on DraftKings Sportsbook for Friday’s contest.
Timberwolves vs. Warriors prediction, preview
Minnesota Timberwolves
The Wolves seem to flip a coin every time they take the floor to determine what version of the team shows up. They’ve lost three straight contests but remain 40-26 on the campaign overall, and a +2.4 NETRTG falls 11th in the league. Minnesota averages 118.6 PPG and has an elite offense that shoots 48.4% overall and 37.1% from three, both top-five marks. The T-Wolves are also 11th in rebounding with 44.3 boards per game. Defensively, they allow 115.1 PPG to opponents and also post the fifth-most blocks with 5.6 a night. There’s a lot to like about their two-way play, even if things haven’t looked as great in their last few outings.
Anthony Edwards’ 29.4 PPG are a team-high and one of the NBA’s most impressive marks, but this unit remains loaded with talent. Despite a recent cold streak from Julius Randle, the forward produces 21.1 points, 7.0 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game. Jaden McDaniels produces 14.7 points with a 42.3% 3P%, while Rudy Gobert posts a double-double of 10.8 points and 11.3 boards. Naz Reiz plays a key role off the bench in the frontcourt, and Ayo Dosunmu and Donte DiVincenzo bring additional scoring ability in the backcourt.
Golden State Warriors
Meanwhile, the Warriors are 32-33 on the year and recently fell below the .500 mark thanks to a three-game losing streak of their own. While still firmly in the Play-In Tournament mix, surviving without Steph Curry while he misses time due to injury has proven quite challenging as they’re 9-17 without him on the season. Golden State averages 115.2 PPG on the full season while shooting 45.9% overall and 35.9% from deep. The Warriors are quite solid defensively with only 114.2 PPG allowed to opponents as well, but they struggle on the boards and fall all the way to 21st in the league with 43.1 per contest. However, they do rank second in steals with 9.9 a night.
In the absence of Curry (and Jimmy Butler, sidelined for the season), De’Anthony Melton is the team’s leading scorer with 13.0 PPG. He’s questionable tonight due to an adductor issue, as is Quinten Post due to a foot injury. Brandin Podziemski pitches in 12.6 points and 5.2 boards with 3.8 assists, while Kristaps Porzingis averages 12.7 PPG over his small sample with the Dubs. Moses Moody also scores 11.9 PPG, while Draymond Green produces 5.5 rebounds and 5.3 assists.
Timberwolves vs. Warriors pick, best bet
DraftKings Sportsbook lists the Timberwolves as -5.5 road favorites tonight with -205 odds on the Moneyline. The Warriors are listed at +170 odds on the ML with the game total set at 223.5 combined points.
Minnesota is a much better team than it’s shown since the All-Star break at 6-4 over its last 10 games. The Timberwolves dropped their last three to Orlando and both Los Angeles teams, but the good news is that tonight’s matchup should be much simpler since Golden State has struggled so mightily without Curry over the last month-plus. The Wolves are better on the glass and have significantly more talent available tonight, while the Warriors are depending on a ragtag group to compete.
Since Curry’s last game on January 30, Golden State has covered the spread only five times in 15 chances. It’s simply difficult to see the Warriors hanging around tonight given the circumstances, even at home against a Wolves team that doesn’t have much momentum.
Top pick: MIN Timberwolves -5.5 (-105)
