We’ve got another exciting Northwest Division matchup on Friday’s NBA schedule as the Minnesota Timberwolves will host the Portland Trail Blazers. Minnesota is 26-11 overall and 14-2 at home, while Portland is 10-27 overall and 5-16 on the road. The Blazers won three of four matchups last season, while the teams split the two games in Minnesota. The Wolves are 18-16-3 against the spread in the 2023-24 NBA season, while the Blazers are 16-21 ATS.
Tip-off is at 8 p.m. ET at the Target Center in Minneapolis. Minnesota is favored by 15.5 points in the latest Timberwolves vs. Trail Blazers odds, per SportsLine consensus, and the over/under is 221.5 points. Before entering any Trail Blazers vs. Timberwolves picks, you’ll want to see the NBA predictions from the model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past five-plus seasons. The model enters Week 12 of the 2023-24 NBA season on a sizzling 112-62 roll on all top-rated NBA picks dating back to last season, returning well over $4,000. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
The model has set its sights on Portland vs. Minnesota. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several NBA odds and betting lines for Trail Blazers vs. Timberwolves:
Timberwolves vs. Trail Blazers spread: Timberwolves -15.5
Timberwolves vs. Trail Blazers over/under: 221.5 points
Timberwolves vs. Trail Blazers money line: Timberwolves: -1322, Trail Blazers: +792
Timberwolves vs. Trail Blazers picks: See picks at SportsLine
What you need to know about the Timberwolves
The Timberwolves fought the good fight in their overtime matchup against the Boston Celtics on Wednesday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result as they fell 127-120. Despite their loss, the Timberwolves saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Karl-Anthony Towns, who dropped a double-double on 25 points and 13 rebounds, was perhaps the best of all.
Despite the defeat, Minnesota still tops the Western Conference standings, thanks primarily to its defense. With three-time Defensive Player of the Year, Rudy Gobert, as the anchor, Minnesota is both allowing the fewest points per game and has the best defensive rating. The offense sits just 20th in rating, and a big reason for struggles on that end is because the Wolves commit the third-most turnovers per game. Gobert (hip) is questionable after not playing on Wednesday. See which team to pick here.
What you need to know about the Trail Blazers
Meanwhile, it’s hard to win when you don’t work as a unit and post 25 fewer assists than your opponent, a fact the Trail Blazers found out the hard way on Thursday. They were completely outmatched by Oklahoma City on the road and fell 139-77. The result shouldn’t come as a shock considering that’s the fewest points the Trail Blazers have scored all season.
Scoring has been an issue all season for Portland, which ranks last in the NBA in points per game, offensive rating and field goal percentage. The last of those rankings can, in part, be attributed to No. 3 overall pick Scoot Henderson, who is shooting just 36% from the field and 29.3% from beyond the arc. His true shooting percentage of 44.9% is the worst of 199 qualified players. Portland’s injury list is unclear on the second night of a back-to-back, but both Deandre Ayton (knee) and Malcolm Brogdon (rest) did not play on Thursday. See which team to pick here.
Key Betting Info
The Trail Blazers better be ready for this one, as the Timberwolves are 22-5 when favored to win this season. Meanwhile, the Trail Blazers have really struggled as the underdog this season and are currently 9-24 in that position.
Some of the betting trends to consider are:
The Blazers are 4-7 ATS in their last 11 games vs teams that win more than 55 % of games.
The Wolves are 17-14-3 ATS in their last 34 games after a day off.
The Blazers are 15-18 ATS in their last 33 games when not the favorite.
How to make Timberwolves vs. Trail Blazers picks
The model has simulated Timberwolves vs. Blazers 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is leaning Under, and it’s also generated a point-spread pick that hits in well over 50% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Trail Blazers vs. Timberwolves, and which side of the spread hits well over 50% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Wolves vs. Blazers spread you need to jump on, all from the model on a 112-62 roll on top-rated NBA picks, and find out.