Timberwolves Beat Heat Twice Last Season; Listed as -250 Favorites on October 27th

• The Miami Heat visit the Minnesota Timberwolves Sunday night
• Both teams have started the season 2-0
• Get the odds, our pick, and all the info you need to bet the game below

The Minnesota Timberwolves host the Miami Heat at Target Center on October 27. Both teams are undefeated after two games this season with the Heat claiming a thrilling overtime win against the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night. Miami is on the second night of a back-to-back for this game and will be without off-season signing Jimmy Butler.

Minnesota are at -250 to win on Sunday. The latest Timberwolves vs Heat odds place the over/under at 224.5, a line that is hard to judge with a resolute Heat defense and an effective Timberwolves offense, led by Karl-Anthony Towns.

Minnesota Timberwolves vs Miami Heat Odds

Odds taken 10/27/19.

No Butler Reunion

The absence of Butler not only deprives us of a reunion with Towns and the Minnesota crowd, it has clearly had a major impact on the Heat’s price. Miami got a big performance from Justice Winslow on opening night to help them past the Memphis Grizzlies without Butler. It was a combination of youth and experience that led the way on Saturday, as rookies Tyler Herro and Kendrick Nunn starred alongside veterans Goran Dragic and Kelly Olynyk. Bam Adebayo had a big night, too.

The Bam Adebayo Experience is going to be really fun this season.

— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) October 27, 2019

Early performances from Butler’s supporting cast have shown they can remain competitive without him. On the second night of a back-to-back, though, this presents their biggest test yet.

Struggling Heat Offense

Against an improved Timberwolves defense, Miami’s offense will be interesting to watch. The Heat’s best chance of victory is a low-scoring game – their half-court offense has been ineffective thus far. There was an improvement with Dragic running the point on Saturday, while Winslow struggled to get into an offensive rhythm.

Towns has been one of the best players in the opening games of the season. His numbers are impressive, though it’s his defense that is crucial. Towns’ offensive potential has been obvious for years, but the defense has been patchy. Increased effort from Towns, with Josh Okogie and Robert Covington on the perimeter, could see Minnesota become a good defensive team.

Improved Minnesota Defense

At this early stage of the season, Minnesota are third in the league in adjusted defensive rating. It’s worth noting that they’ve only played the Brooklyn Nets and Charlotte Hornets, but that’s still a notable improvement from a team that has been in the bottom-10 in the league in that category over the last three seasons.

On the other side of the ball, the Timberwolves are a different team this year. Ryan Saunders has overhauled the offense. The number of dodgy mid-rangers has dropped, while the three is being shot at a rate in keeping with the rest of the NBA. It is focussed on Towns – as it should be – but there’s an obvious system in place and off-ball movement has improved drastically.

Towns to be Too Much?

Towns has been unstoppable in the first two games of the year. He’s got open looks from three – hitting 11 of his 18 attempts – and has been cleaning up on the boards. Against Charlotte, he registered eight assists in a game for only the fourth time in his NBA career. The two-time All-Star has been such a force offensively, it’s hard to see Miami finding a way to slow him down.

The key for the Timberwolves, though, will be defense once again. Without Butler, Minnesota should be able to frustrate this Heat offense. Miami needs Adebayo to get the better of Towns on both ends of the floor if they’re to stand a chance. That seems unlikely.

Pick: Minnesota Timberwolves -6.5 (-110)