Clippers vs Timberwolves Picks, Predictions & Odds Tonight - NBA

Are either of the Los Angeles Clippers or the Minnesota Timberwolves inner-circle title favorites? If you asked anyone or consulted the NBA odds before the season began, the mere suggestion would have seemed farfetched. 

Now, it’s beginning to seem as if perhaps both of them are, setting up a titanic clash on Sunday, January 14 when Kawhi Leonard & Co. head to the Twin Cities to take on Minnesota.

My free NBA picks for Clippers vs. Timberwolves believe that L.A.’s elite two-way play should give them a strong edge.

Clippers vs Timberwolves odds

Clippers vs Timberwolves predictions

The NBA season is long, and it’s common practice for teams to look for motivations big and small to bring the requisite night-to-night effort to succeed at the highest levels.

Sometimes the source of that motivation is ridiculous, like when a perennial title favorite claims that “nobody believed in us” despite having been an NBA Championship odds leader for much of the season. 

In the case of the Los Angeles Clippers, however, it actually rings true. People had given this team up for dead, and after they suffered five straight losses after trading for James Harden, they were well on their way to being an NBA laughingstock. 

Nobody is laughing now. The Clippers have been the NBA’s best team for two months. They are 22-6 since November 17, by far the best mark in the NBA in that span. 

L.A.’s season-long point differential is up to +7.4, fourth best in the league. Over the last two weeks, they’ve leveled up again, with a 6-1 record and a +14.6-point differential. It has blowout wins over the Pelicans, Suns, and Heat in that span. They are blitzing teams that in turn are blitzing others.

Its core players are all healthy, playing at a high level, and finding new synergies with each game. This is the best Kawhi Leonard has looked for this long a period since he was a Toronto Raptor. He’s averaging 23.9 points on better than 62% shooting while guarding opposing stars, something he hasn’t done as frequently in recent years.

Harden has shot the ball well and has given the L.A. offense the highest level of organization it has ever had in the 213 Era. He’s taken the pressure off Leonard and Paul George to be primary ball handlers for all 48 minutes and is allowing them instead to thrive as elite play finishers on most possessions. 

George and Norman Powell are also both shooting the leather off the ball and L.A. is getting quality bench minutes from Russell Westbrook and Daniel Thies. A team that was for so long less than the sum of its parts is blossoming into a title contender in real-time. 

They’re also killing it against the spread. They’re now 8-4 ATS when playing as a road favorite as they will be Sunday against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Timberwolves are no slouches themselves of course. They’ve been the NBA’s best defense all season long. The gap between them and the second-best defense team has ballooned to over three points per 100 possessions — the same gap between the second and the 14th-best defense, per Cleaning the Glass.

But their offense remains one-dimensional. Anthony Edwards is a strong isolation scorer, but his decision-making suffers against elite competition like we saw when he had numerous critical turnovers down the stretch in their recent loss to the Celtics.

He’s also officially questionable with a knee contusion. If he doesn’t play, they’re simply not going to be able to get enough from Mike Conley to compete with what the Clippers are getting from Harden on a possession-by-possession basis.

I think the Clippers should be much bigger favorites, so I’ll happily take Clippers -1.5 as my best bet on Sunday’s board.

My best bet: Clippers -1.5 (-110 at bet365)

Clippers vs Timberwolves same-game parlay

I’m going all Clippers for my Sunday SGP, building off two points I highlighted above in my best bet analysis as I loop in Paul George Over 3.5 made threes and Ivica Zubac Over 10.5 points.

I think it's gone somewhat under the radar just how well George is shooting the ball lately. PG shot better than 44% from deep in December, and is shooting 50.7% from downtown through seven games in January. He’s averaging 4.9 makes through those seven games and hasn’t had a game without at least four makes since New Year's Day. 

The Wolves are a defense that builds from the paint out, and they’re going to struggle to match up effectively when the Clippers play all of George, Leonard, Harden, and Powell together as they like to do.

Meanwhile, Ivica Zubac has been a revelation this season. Harden has worked tirelessly with Zubac before and after practice to nail their pick-and-roll reads and it has paid massive dividends.

Their chemistry has transformed Zu into a legitimate offensive weapon. The Clippers are going to need to play big for most of this game against the Wolves' jumbo frontline, so he should have ample opportunity to hit this prop.

Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.

Clippers vs Timberwolves spread and Over/Under analysis

Sunday’s tilt opened with the Clippers getting between -1 and -1.5 and is available as high as -2.5 at some Sportsbooks. 

In addition to being 8-4 ATS as road favorites, the Clippers are 19-12 ATS overall as favorites this season. This is not a team that has struggled with prosperity or expectations. They’re also beating the spread by an average of 5.4 points per game over the last two weeks, per Cleaning the Glass.

This is being forecasted as a defensive battle, with the total opening at just 222.5. It’s available as high as 223.5 at some sportsbooks, but you can also still get it at the opening price.

I do think that Minnesota’s defense will be tested in this one. Both these teams have a layered defense that manages to not concede many high-value looks at the rim or from the corners.

The Wolves are highly dependent on Edwards and Conley for offensive initiation, however, and the Clippers have the personnel to put pressure on other players to make plays.

The Clippers, for their part, are weak in transition. If the Wolves can buckle down and force turnovers, that is certainly one way they can win this game as well as tilt this towards the Over. Their half-court offense alone probably isn’t going to do it, particularly if Edwards is a no-go.

Clippers vs Timberwolves betting trend to know

The Clippers are 8-4 ATS in their last 12 games as road favorites. Find more NBA betting trends for Clippers vs. Timberwolves.

Clippers vs Timberwolves game info

Clippers vs Timberwolves latest injuries

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