Oklahoma City Thunder vs Minnesota Timberwolves Prediction: Away team to triumph

The Thunder and Timberwolves met recently in the NBA regular season and Minnesota was stronger at home. Will Oklahoma be able to get revenge on their home court?

The Thunder could have fought for more than a spot at the bottom of the Western Conference standings this season. Or at least they pretended to be. Everything was thrown off by an injury to Chet Holmgren, the club's No. 2 overall pick in this past draft. As a result, Oklahoma was once again left with a bunch of mixed up youngsters with only Shai Gilgeous-Alexander looking promising. Josh Giddey is only useful as a point guard so far, and his efficiency in finishing offenses leaves much to be desired. Tre Mann has decent upside, but the coach can't give him enough playing time, as the Thunder's leaders play the same position as Mann. Oklahoma has the biggest problem with their centers. Jeremiah Robinson-Earl doesn't even play 20 minutes, and Aleksej Pokusevski is still raw, so even Mike Muscala isn't getting that small a role in the rotation. In addition to Holmgren, Oklahoma has another rookie in the sideline, Jalen Williams, and the rest of the home team's lineup will be optimal.

The day before, Mark Daigneault's team lost on the road to Denver, 117-122. The Thunder defended poorly at the arc, allowing 20 three-pointers. It did not help that Oklahoma shot well from beyond the arc either: Giddey, Muscala, Robinson-Earl, Mann, Bazley and Wiggins shot 40% or better. The Thunder, by the way, were decent defensively in the paint, not allowing Jokic to turn around much in the end zone. The team played better on the fast breaks and lost less ball, which kept the intrigue alive for a long time.

Though the price tag on Rudy Gobert seemed excessive, Minnesota only grew stronger, becoming a full-fledged playoff contender. And the key players in the Wolves' progression may not even be their biggest stars. While Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns are the undisputed leaders of the Timberwolves, Jaden McDaniels' progress is especially important right now. The young forward is good on defense and will be an insurance policy for Gobert on the perimeter, but McDaniels is also very useful on offense right now. Jaden averaged 14.5 points in his 2 starts, hitting a lot of free throws and finishing consistently from under the basket. Edwards hasn't been as visible as we'd like him to be, but D'Angelo Russell has been effective so far. Until recently, the only other player in the Minnesota Timberwolves' infirmary was Eric Paschall, who was joined by Kyle Anderson. Both won't be on the floor against Oklahoma.

Last regular season game, Chris Finch's team sensationally lost to Utah in overtime, 126-122. Minnesota could do nothing against their opponent's shooters, although at the beginning of the game the Wolves took a lead and it seemed that nothing could take away their victory. The Timberwolves scored heavily in the paint, but Towns missed very often from good positions. Anthony Edwards was the most productive player on the team with 30 points.

Minnesota's lead over Oklahoma in last face-off was clear. The Thunder look disorganized and there are questions about player combinations. The home team has been poor under the basket, and Rudy Gobert took advantage of that in previous meetings. Even the high three-point percentage didn't help Oklahoma City handle Denver. Yes, the Timberwolves also faced one of the West's outsiders (although that is debatable), but Utah and Oklahoma are no match for their skill level. It was Minnesota's own fault for losing the lead over the Jazz, and the players are now determined to bounce back. Our prediction for the Oklahoma-Minnesota game is as follows:

• H2 (-6.5) for 1.63;
• W2 by 21+ Points for 5.50;
• TU (225.5) for 2.00.

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