Thunder vs. Timberwolves Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for December 16 (Oklahoma City Torches Minnesota by the Rim)

Thunder vs. Timberwolves Game Info

• Date: Friday, December 16, 2022
• Time: 8:00 PM ET
• Venue: Paycom Center -- Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
• Coverage: BSOK and BSN

The 2022-23 NBA season continues on Friday with 10 more games, including a battle between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Oklahoma City Thunder. The Timberwolves rank 11th in the Western Conference with a 13-15 record, while the Thunder check in close behind with an 11-17 record (13th).

Minnesota enters on a disappointing three-game losing streak that includes a 99-88 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Oklahoma City saw its losing streak grow to four games with a 110-108 loss to the Miami Heat on Wednesday. Which team will bounce back tonight?

Thunder vs. Timberwolves Odds & Spread

• All NBA betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Moneyline: OKC: (-132) | MIN: (+112)
• Spread: OKC: -2.5 (-110) | MIN: +2.5 (-110)
• Total: 233 -- Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)

The Thunder enter this contest as small home favorites on the moneyline and spread per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This 8 p.m. ET clash also features an over/under of 233.5 points, which is about average compared to the rest of Friday's projected totals.

Thunder vs. Timberwolves Betting Trends

• The Thunder put together a 47-31-4 record against the spread last season.
• The Timberwolves went 16-19 as underdogs of 1.5 points or more last season.
• Last season, 40 Thunder games hit the over.
• Last season, 49 of the Timberwolves' 82 games hit the over.

Thunder vs. Timberwolves Prediction & Pick

The Timberwolves are getting hit by the injury bug hard right now. All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns remains out with a leg injury and now Rudy Gobert as well as D'Angelo Russell are listed as day-to-day. That's three of Minnesota's top four scorers, which means the team could be in some trouble.

The Thunder have played well at home this season, averaging 118.1 points per game (No. 7 in NBA) on offense and forcing 17.2 turnovers per game on defense (No. 2 in NBA). Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has emerged as a star and has scored at least 32 points in his two games against Minnesota in 2022.

Oklahoma City took down a Minnesota squad without KAT on the road by a score of 135-128 on Dec. 3. I expect a similar result at home.

Final Score Prediction: Thunder: 122 | Timberwolves: 116

Thunder vs. Timberwolves Best Bet

Everything lines up for a shootout at the Paycom Center tonight. The Timberwolves will likely be without their top two rim defenders and have to face a Thunder offense that ranks fourth in points in the paint per game (56.1). Gilgeous-Alexander will be able to drive to the rim with ease in this one.

Each of these squads play at a top-five pace as well, meaning players won't be afraid to chuck up shots early in the possession. The total has hit the over in eight of Oklahoma City's last 10 home games overall as well as in eight of its last 10 home games against Minnesota. Trust the trends.

Bet: Over 233 Points (-110)

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel. 

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.