Thunder vs Timberwolves Odds, Predictions & Injury News

• The Minnesota Timberwolves are 5.5-point home favorites against the OKC Thunder in the final Western Conference play-in game on Friday
• The winner will face the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the 2023 NBA Playoffs
• Read below for the Thunder vs Timberwolves odds and predictions

It’s a battle for the last dance ticket in the West’s NBA Playoff Bracket, and a date with the Denver Nuggets in Round 1 when the Oklahoma City Thunder (40-42, 16-25 away) visit the Minnesota Timberwolves (42-40, 20-19 home).

OKC is ahead of schedule, as the 10th seed and youngest team in the Association knocked off the New Orleans Pelicans to advance to this win-and-in game.

Minnesota, meanwhile, will try to bounce back after losing a rock fight with the Los Angeles Lakers in the 7-8 game.

It all gets underway Friday (April 14) at 9:30pm ET from the Target Center in Minneapolis, MN. You can watch the game live on ESPN.

Thunder vs Timberwolves Odds

Despite their outcomes last game, the NBA odds still have the Thunder as 5.5-point road ‘dogs, with the T-Wolves set as -215 favorites on the moneyline, an implied win probability of 68.25%. The game also features a total of 228.5.

OKC didn’t show much on the road to close out the season, going 5-6 since the start of March. Their 15-26 road mark is the second-worst of the top 10 finishers in the West.

At 22-19, the T-Wolves have the fewest home wins of any team in the conference. They ended the regular season just 2-5 at Target since March 1, putting up a paltry 110.4 points per game.

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Odds updated at 10:18 am ET, April 14, at DraftKings Sportsbook.

Oklahoma City Betting Analysis

They aren’t Anthony Davis and LeBron James, but the Timberwolves should have their hands full with Josh Giddey and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

The two Thunder stars were dominant in a 123-118 road win over the Pelicans, the lone team in the conference still alive with a losing record.

Giddey had 31 points, 10 assists and nine boards, while SGA did much of his damage in the second half, dropping 25 of his game-high 32 points in the final two periods, to go along with five rebounds, three rebounds and three steals.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (32 PTS, 5 REB) came up big on the road in New Orleans!

The @okcthunder won their #ATTPlayIn matchup, earning themselves a chance at the West's #8 seed against Minnesota.

📺 Friday, 9:30pm/et, ESPN pic.twitter.com/of1J7NnT4x

— NBA (@NBA) April 13, 2023

They also got a spectacular performance from Lu Dort, as the Canadian set his season-high with 27 points, including a 4-for-8 mark from distance, with five rebounds.

A middle-of-the-pack team defending the three (35.8%), OKC held the Pelicans to 9-for-28 from downtown, a 32.1% clip.

SGA and Giddey have been pretty potent against Minny: Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 33.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.3 assists in three games, while the young Aussie has gone for 14 points, 9.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists in the four matchups.

Thunder vs Timberwolves Head-to-Head

Minnesota Betting Analysis

After looking like world beaters in building a 60-49 halftime lead, Minnesota simply ran out of steam in the second half to lose 108-102 in overtime to the Lakers, sending them to this 1-game scenario Friday.

Karl-Anthony Towns was unstoppable, scoring 24 points points early into third quarter before picking up his fourth foul. He didn’t score another point the rest of the way, and had to sit early in the fourth quarter when he picked up foul no. 5.

make it 20 for 3️⃣2️⃣. pic.twitter.com/Pcm9gTPplY

— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) April 12, 2023

The result? Minnesota’s offense bogged down, scoring just 16 points in the fourth quarter and overtime. Both teams committed 20 turnovers, but the T-Wolves also surrendered 12 offensive rebounds, allowing LA to take nine more shots in the game.

It was also a nightmare performance from Anthony Edwards, who shot 3-for-17 from the field and 0-for-9 from three, finishing with nine points, eight rebounds five assists and three blocks.

Mike Conley picked up the slack, with 23 points on 6-for-8 from downtown, including hitting three free throws with 0.1 second left to push the game to OT.

The ‘Wolves won three of four games in this series, and Towns played just once. All games were close, with 10 points the largest margin of victory.

Thunder vs Timberwolves Betting Prediction

The cavalry is limping into this one for the T-Wolves, as Rudy Gobert, who missed the Laker game due to suspension for punching teammate Kyle Anderson, is questionable Friday with a back injury.

Jaden McDaniels won’t be back after breaking his hand punching a wall, and Naz Reid (wrist) also remains out.

OKC has been the bet at Minnesota: they are 6-1 ATS in their last seven at Target Center, though they are just 2-5 ATS in the last seven head-to-heads overall.

The T-Wolves are also 1-6 ATS in their last seven home games against a team with a losing record.

At this point, they shouldn’t be that large a favorite against anyone, let alone an OKC club that ranks fifth in scoring.

Pick: