Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Golden State Warriors Predictions, Picks, Odds

Michael Crosson Sports Betting Expert

4 minute read

Nationally televised NBA coverage will conclude on Thursday night with a compelling Western Conference matchup between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Golden State Warriors. Coverage begins from Chase Center at 10:00 p.m. ET on TNT.

SCORE PREDICTION

Warriors 118, Timberwolves 114

BEST BETS

Over 227.5 (-110) at WynnBet

MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES VS. GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS PREDICTIONS

After finishing 13th in the West with a record of 23-49 SU last year, Minnesota kept that same ball rolling with another bumpy start to this season, as the Timberwolves opened with a lackluster 11-15 SU skid – while averaging just 107.7 PPG offensively across that span.

The Wolves have played excellent since their rough opening stretch though, considering Minnesota boasts sturdy records of 13-8 SU and 12-8-1 ATS across the last 21 games – despite getting tagged as underdogs in 11 of those matchups.

On the other hand, Golden State stormed out to a triumphant start to the season, as the Warriors kicked things off with an impressive 18-3 SU and 15-5-1 ATS run – with 14 of those victories coming by 10+ PTS.

The last few weeks have been relatively shaky for the Warriors though, considering Golden State is just 17-11 SU and 11-15-2 ATS across the last 28 games – despite getting tagged as favorites in 22 of those contests.

I’ll take the over here, as the Warriors and Wolves have both excelled in the scoring department as of late, highlighted by Golden State averaging 110 PPG and Minnesota averaging 120 PPG across their respective 4-1 SU runs – likely setting the stage for another high-scoring battle between Western Conference foes on Thursday night.

MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES VS. GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS BETTING ODDS

More Odds | Futures Odds

MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES VS. GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS BETTING RESOURCES

• Matchup: Northwest vs. Pacific
• Date: Thursday, January 27, 2022
• Venue: Chase Center
• Location: San Francisco, California
• TV-Time: TNT - 10:00 p.m. ET
• Injury Report

MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES BETTING ANALYSIS

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

• SU: 24-23
• ATS: 23-23-1
• O/U: 26-21

After last year’s disappointing 23-49 SU showing, Minnesota stumbled out to another discouraging start to the season, as the Wolves kicked things off with a lackluster 11-15 SU and ATS skid – with nine of those SU losses coming by 10+ PTS.

Minnesota has played solid basketball since mid-December though, considering the Wolves enter Thursday’s contest sitting at 13-8 SU and 12-8-1 ATS in their last 21 games – while averaging roughly 115 PPG across that window (114.8 PPG).

GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS BETTING ANALYSIS

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

• SU: 35-13
• ATS: 26-19-3
• O/U: 18-29-1

After last year’s mediocre 39-33 SU regular-season showing, Golden State returned seeking vengeance to kick off the new season, as the Warriors opened with wins in 18 of their first 20 games – with their only two losses across that span coming by slim margins of four points or less.

The Warriors have primarily leaned on defense since their opening stretch though, considering Golden State is just 17-11 SU across the last 28 games, while averaging 107 PPG offensively and surrendering 102 PPG defensively during that timeframe – but such a sluggish pace typically isn’t an option against upbeat run-and-gun squads like the Wolves.

MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES VS. GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS HEAD-TO-HEAD

The Warriors won two-of-three regular-season matchups against Minnesota last year, with all three of those matchups soaring over the total at a lofty average of 240.6 PPG. The Warriors and Wolves split their first two matchups of this season though, but both contests still went over the total at a slightly more reasonable average of 225.5 PPG.

KEY PLAYERS TO WATCH

• MIN: Karl-Anthony Towns - C (25.1 PPG, 9.7 REB, 3.8 AST)
• MIN: Anthony Edwards - SG (22.7 PPG, 5.2 REB, 3.5 AST)
• GSW: Steph Curry - PG (25.8 PPG, 5.4 REB, 6.2 AST)
• GSW: Andrew Wiggins - SF (18.1 PPG, 4.2 REB, 2 AST)

MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES VS. GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS BETTING CONCLUSION

After posting consecutive victories at Chase Center over the Rockets, Jazz, and Mavericks, the Warriors enter Thursday’s contest as moderate home favorites over the visiting Timberwolves – marking the seventh straight home game Golden State has been favored in.

I’ll take the over here, as Thursday’s nightcap should ultimately be a competitive high-scoring battle between a Timberwolves squad that’s averaging 120 PPG across their latest 4-1 SU stretch – and a Warriors squad averaging 110 PPG across that same timeframe.

MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES VS. GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS BETTING TRENDS

• The total has gone OVER in five straight matchups between Golden State and Minnesota.
• The Warriors are 6-1 SU in their last seven home games.
• The Timberwolves are 2-5 ATS in their last seven games.
• The total has gone OVER in four of the last five Timberwolves' games.

Michael Crosson

Michael Crosson began his time at VegasInsider as a freelance NBA writer back in 2019 while he continued to study Psychology and Biology at James Madison University. Following his graduation in 2021, Michael joined the team full-time, and he's been with VI ever since. Michael still writes NBA, NFL, and MLB for VI, as well as gambling industry news. He's also become a crucial part of our editorial production team. More from Michael Crosson