The Cleveland Cavaliers (21-17) and Minnesota Timberwolves (24-13) meet for game one of their home-and-home series at Target Center on Thursday. The game tips off at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday from Minneapolis, MN., live on NBA League Pass.
The Cavs come off a 120-116 road win over the Pacers, the fourth dub in their last five games. The Wolves, following their embarrassing 24-point loss in Atlanta on Dec. 31st, have rattled off three straight.
Below, we’ll break down our Cavaliers vs. Timberwolves prediction on spread. Use PrizePicks NBA to make picks on player projections and win real money if you’re right.
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Cavaliers vs. Timberwolves Prediction on Spread
Both teams enter Thursday’s game with fairly clean bills of health. All-Star SG Donovan Mitchell was rested during Cleveland’s last game vs the Pacers and is off the injury report for Thursday. The Cavs also welcomed back starting center Jarrett Allen last game, who missed just one game due to an illness.
All-world SG Anthony Edwards (right foot injury maintenance) was listed as questionable all day heading into the Timberwolves' last game vs the Heat on January 6, but ended up starting and scoring 26 points in 29 minutes of play.
Edwards took another step forward in his sixth NBA season. He has increased his points per game to a career-best 29.3, seventh-best in the NBA. The main improvement for Edwards has come via his efficiency. He is shooting 50.4% from the field and 40.7% from three, major improvements from last year, where he shot 44.7% and 39.5% respectively.
The Cavaliers are led by SG Donovan Mitchell, who is also in the midst of a career-best year in his ninth NBA season. Mitchell averages 29.8 points per game (fourth in the NBA), on 49.7% from the field and 38.8% from distance, all career highs.
Cavaliers vs. Timberwolves Over/Under, Spread
The Timberwolves enter Thursday’s game as 3.5-point home favorites, returning a 1.63x payout on PrizePicks Team Picks if they win outright.
The Cavaliers are road underdogs with a 2.12x payout if they win, via PrizePicks Team Picks.
- Spread: Minnesota Timberwolves -3.5 (1.96x payout)
- Over/Under: 238.5 (1.81x payout on over)
- Game Winner Payout: Cavaliers 2.12x | Timberwolves 1.62x
Team Picks payouts are live as of publishing and are subject to change.
Cavaliers vs. Timberwolves Numbers to Know
Here are some facts and figures that will get you prepared for Cavaliers vs. Timberwolves today.
- In Timberwolves games, the under is 20-17 (54.1%) against the spread (ATS).
- In Cavaliers games, the under is 21-17 ATS (55.3%).
- The Timberwolves rank sixth in defensive rating at 111.9.
- The Cavaliers sit at 12 in defensive rating at 113.6, but have missed five and six games, respectively, from their two best interior defenders, F/C Evan Mobley and C Jarrett Allen. With them, they ranked eighth in defensive rating last year at 111.8.
- Both teams sit in the top ten in opponent field goal percentage, with the Cavaliers sitting eighth at 46.1% and the Timberwolves fourth at 45.6%.
Cavaliers vs. Timberwolves NBA Picks, Stats for PrizePicks Today
Here are two of the top Cavaliers vs. Timberwolves picks to consider for PrizePicks today. Player projections via the PrizePicks real-money NBA game.
Cavaliers SG Donovan Mitchell vs. Timberwolves Projection – 29.5 Points
- Mitchell averages 29.8 points per game (PPG) this season and has had more than 29.5 points in 19 of his 34 games.
- The Louisville product shoots a career-high 6.0 free throws a game. The Timberwolves allow the tenth most free throw attempts in the league at 24.7 per game.
- Spida has an average shot distance of 17.1 feet this season, indicating a predilection for the long ball.
- The Timberwolves allow the third-most field goal attempts from 20-24 feet this year.
Timberwolves SG Anthony Edwards vs. Cavaliers Projection – 30.5 Points
- Edwards averages 31.3 PPG in January.
- The Cavs allow the highest 3-point percentage in the NBA (37.8%).
- Edwards shoots a team-high 8.3 three-pointers a game.
- Ant Man has been busy at the charity stripe, compiling 7.5 free throws per game. The Cavs allow the eighth most free throw attempts in the league at 25.2.
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Make Cavaliers vs. Timberwolves Picks on PrizePicks
These teams, in many ways, are mirror reflections of each other. When healthy, they are both top ten in offense and defense. Both are anchored by perennial DPOY candidates in C Rudy Gobert and PF Evan Mobley, and both are led by all-NBA caliber SGs in Anthony Edwards and Donovan Mitchell.
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