The last time that Anthony Edwards took the court at the Intuit Dome, it was a moment of triumph. In Team USA Stars’ three games at the new-look NBA All-Star tournament, Edwards combined for 32 points on 13-for-22 shooting, nine rebounds, and three assists as his team won the tournament and he was named All-Star Game MVP.
Tonight, he’ll visit Intuit Dome once again, this time as his Minnesota Timberwolves travel to face the LA Clippers at 10:10 p.m. ET.
The Clippers will have a pair of significant absences, as Kawhi Leonard (ankle soreness) and John Collins (head laceration) have both been ruled out for tonight’s contest. Minnesota, which has been one of the league’s healthiest teams all season, once again has a clean injury report.
The Timberwolves are 7.5-point favorites at DraftKings Sportsbook (-310 on the Moneyline), with the point total set to 222.5. LA is +250 on the Moneyline. Below, I’ve broken down my three favorite prop bets from tonight’s clash.
Anthony Edwards 30+ Points (+121)
Though Edwards has been held below 30 points in both of his games against the Clippers this season, it’d be foolish to doubt a player who’s scored at least 30 points in 27 of his 49 games, including two of his three since the All-Star break. The 24-year-old has blossomed into a player capable of scoring against any defense at any level. Plus, the Intuit Dome crowd is known for jeering, and if there’s any player who would relish the trash-talk, it’s Edwards.
It’s not like LA’s defense is particularly good. The Clippers rank 12th-to-last in defensive rating this season and, as one of the league’s worst rim-protecting teams, might struggle mightily to contain Edwards’ drives. While Leonard’s absence won’t impact Edwards too much directly — in the teams’ first two matchups, he was mostly guarded by Kris Dunn and spent very little time matched up against Leonard — he should find more room to operate without having to worry about The Klaw’s quick hands.
Rudy Gobert 12+ Rebounds (+104)
The Stifle Tower has had an exceptional season, shooting over 70% from the field for the first time since 2021-22 and ranking by D-RAPM as the league’s best defender for the fourth time in six seasons. He’s also averaged the second-highest offensive rebounding percentage of his career, and he’s had 12 or more rebounds in four of his last seven games, including 19 in Minnesota’s win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday.
He has a great opportunity to control the glass against LA, which hasn’t been a great rebounding team. The Clippers rank eighth-to-last in rebounding percentage, and they’ll likely be worse tonight, given that they’ve rebounded at a rate 1.5 percentage points lower without Collins and 1.2 percentage points lower without Leonard. In the past, Gobert has occasionally been out-muscled by Zubac, but he should find it easier to get a positioning edge on Brook Lopez and Yanic Konan Niederhäuser.
Bennedict Mathurin LA Clippers First Field Goal Scorer (+240)
Mathurin has had a strong start to his tenure in LA, averaging 22.0 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 1.8 steals per game across his first five games as a Clipper, and he should step into the starting lineup tonight in Leonard’s absence. He hasn’t been particularly efficient, shooting just 42.9% from the field and 25.0% from beyond the arc, but his aggressiveness (a 31% usage rate) is a welcome sight. With each of Leonard, James Harden, Zubac, and Collins — LA’s four players with at least 1,000 minutes and at least a 15% usage rate — all either injured or off the roster, the Clippers don’t have a trustworthy scoring option besides Mathurin. It’d almost be a surprise to see anyone take LA’s first shot.
