Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Miami Heat Predictions, Picks, Odds

Michael Crosson Sports Betting Expert

4 minute read

Regular-season NBA action will resume on Saturday night with a compelling non-conference matchup between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Miami Heat. Coverage begins from FTX Arena in Miami at 8:00 p.m. ET.

Score Prediction

Timberwolves 119, Heat 115

Best Bets

Timberwolves +6 (-110) at DraftKings

Timberwolves vs. Heat Predictions

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

The Wolves have played excellent since their opening stretch though, considering Minnesota boasts sturdy records of 27-14 SU and 25-14-2 ATS across their last 41 games – despite getting tagged as underdogs in 17 of those matchups.

On the other hand, Miami barreled out to an excellent start to the season, as the Heat kicked things off with a sturdy 11-5 SU and 12-4 ATS stretch – with nine of those SU victories coming by 10+ PTS.

Aside from a brief nine-game December lull though (3-6 SU, 2-7 ATS), Miami has carried that same momentum going all the way through March too, considering Miami enters Saturday riding an impressive 30-12 SU and 25-16-1 ATS stretch – despite getting tagged as underdogs in 14 of those contests.

I’ll back Minnesota here, as the Wolves are 6-1 SU and ATS in their last seven games, while generating 127.9 OPPG and allowing just 108.4 DPPG during that timeframe – likely serving as a difficult task for a Heat squad that’s averaging 109.3 OPPG across their latest 4-2 SU stretch.

Timberwolves vs. Heat Betting Odds

More Odds | Futures Odds

Timberwolves vs. Heat Betting Resources

• Matchup: Northwest vs. Southeast
• Date: Saturday, March 12, 2022
• Venue: FTX Arena
• Location: Miami, FL
• TV-Time: NBA League Pass - 8:00 p.m. ET
• Injury Report

Minnesota Timberwolves Betting Analysis

• SU: 38-29
• ATS: 36-29-2
• O/U: 41-26

After last year’s lackluster 23-49 SU showing, Minnesota briefly sustained that same deficient pace with another slow start to this season, as the Wolves kicked things off with a frustrating 11-15 SU and ATS skid – with nine of those SU losses coming by 10+ PTS.

Minnesota quickly flipped the script in December though, highlighted by the Wolves entering Saturday riding a sturdy 27-14 SU and 25-14-2 ATS stretch – while averaging a lofty 118.9 OPPG across that window (116.9 PPG).

Miami Heat Betting Analysis

• SU: 44-23
• ATS: 39-27-1
• O/U: 39-28

After last year’s underwhelming 40-32 SU showing, Miami made some aggressive offseason moves in order to better suit needs at the offensive end – primarily highlighted by the acquisition of six-time All-Star Kyle Lowry.

Everything worked perfectly out of the gate, as Miami kicked things off with an impressive 11-5 SU and 12-4 ATS stretch, with the Heat’s only ATS loses across that span coming in tough matchups against the Lakers, Clippers, Nuggets, and Celtics.

The depth that Miami sacrificed to acquire Lowry was briefly exposed back in November though, considering a revolving door of health and safety concerns spiraled Miami into a 3-6 SU and 2-7 ATS skid. But depth hasn’t been much of an issue recently, considering the Heat enter Saturday riding a sturdy 30-12 SU run.

Timberwolves vs. Heat Head-to-Head

The Wolves and Heat split a two-game regular-season set last year, with both matchups cruising over the total at an average of 231.5 OPPG. The most recent matchup between these teams took place back in November of this season though, which resulted in another high-scoring victory for Minnesota (113-101, O 212.5).

Key Players to Watch

• MIN: Karl-Anthony Towns - C (24.5 PPG, 9.7 REB, 3.8 AST)
• MIN: Anthony Edwards - SG (21.3 PPG, 4.6 REB, 3.6 AST)
• MIA: Tyler Herro - SG (20.7 PPG, 4.8 REB, 3.9 AST)
• MIA: Bam Adebayo - C (18.8 PPG, 10.2 REB, 3.6 AST)

Timberwolves vs. Heat Betting Conclusion

After extending their win streak to seven games with a victory over the Magic on Friday night, the Heat enter Saturday’s contest as short home favorites over the Wolves at FTX Arena – marking the first time Minnesota has been an underdog across their last five games.

I’ll back Minnesota here, as the Heat enter Saturday riding a relatively pedestrian 4-2 SU stretch, while scoring just 109.3 OPPG and allowing 104.2 DPPG during that span – setting the stage for a tough matchup against a Wolves squad that’s averaging a whopping 130.8 OPPG across their latest 6-1 SU run.

Timberwolves vs. Heat Betting Trends

• The Wolves are 6-1 ATS in their last seven games.
• The Heat are 1-5-1 in their last seven matchups against Minnesota.
• The Total has gone UNDER in five of the last eight Wolves' games.
• The total has gone OVER in nine of the last ten matchups between Minnesota and Miami.

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