The Minnesota Timberwolves (27-15) and San Antonio Spurs (28-13) will face off in the NBA tonight. Tipoff is set for 8:00 p.m. EST from Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas. The game will broadcast live on FDSN.
The Spurs are 5.5-point favorites over the Timberwolves on the spread (Spurs -5.5), with the over/under set at 228.5 total points. San Antonio is a -238 favorite to win outright on the moneyline, while Minnesota is +195 to pull off the upset.
Let's get into my Timberwolves vs. Spurs predictions and NBA picks for Saturday, January 17.
My Timberwolves vs Spurs Prediction
- Timberwolves vs Spurs pick: Julian Champagnie Over 6.5 Rebounds (-106)
My Spurs vs Timberwolves best bet is Over 6.5 rebounds for Julian Champagnie tonight, with the best price currently available at DraftKings. But as always, make sure to find the best odds by checking our live NBA odds page.
Timberwolves vs Spurs Odds
| Timberwolves Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+5.5 -105 | 228.5 -112o / -108u | +195 |
| Spurs Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-5.5 -115 | 228.5 -112o / -108u | -238 |
Timberwolves vs Spurs NBA Preview
Minnesota has won eight of its last 10 games against San Antonio. That includes the first two meetings this season, 125-112 in November and 104-103 six days ago.
This time, Minnesota will be on the second night of a back-to-back. Last night, the Timberwolves controlled much of the first half in Houston, but only took a 5-point lead into the break. Houston rallied for a 110-105 victory as Kevin Durant scored 39 points.
In the loss, Julius Randle scored 39 points, and Naz Reid added 25 points off the bench. They needed the added scoring punch as Anthony Edwards remains out of the lineup.
Minnesota has fared well without its franchise player with a 5-4 record after last night. The team has not submitted an injury report as of this writing, but Edwards may need a few more days to get back in the lineup.
San Antonio may feel like it has let two games slip away against Minnesota this season. It held second-half leads in both games, including a 20-point lead in the last meeting. Tonight, it will have both rest and a homecourt advantage as it looks to grab a win in the season series.
On Thursday, the Spurs improved to 14-5 at home with a 119-101 victory over the Bucks. They received a scare in the first quarter when Victor Wembanyama went down in the first quarter after banging knees on Tuesday night against the Thunder. He missed the rest of the first quarter but returned to finish with 22 points, 10 rebounds, and two blocks in 22 minutes. He is not on the injury report for tonight's game.
Stephon Castle joined Wembyanama with a double-double (19 points and 10 assists) on Thursday. However, he is questionable for tonight's game due to an illness.
If he cannot go, expect to see more of Dylan Harper and Keldon Johnson off the bench with De'Aaron Fox running the offense.
Timberwolves vs Spurs Prediction, Betting Analysis
Julian Champagnie has pulled down six rebounds in each of his last 10 games. Over that span, he is averaging 8.7 rebounds per game, clearing this line in seven of his past eight games. He is averaging 31.3 minutes per game over his last 10 contests and about 12 rebound chances per game.
Last Sunday, Champagnie had 14 points and 10 rebounds against Minnesota, easily surpassing his 5.5 rebounds line and tonight's line as well. He also recorded a double-double for the fourth time in his last seven games. Champagnie is +620 on DraftKings for a double-double tonight.
He figures to get some help on the glass from Wembanyama, who is averaging 10.8 per game this season. He had just seven last Sunday, but scored 29 points. Wembanyama has recorded 30 PR in eight of his last 10 games.
If Edwards is out again, you can expect the usage rate to tick up for Randle and Jaden McDaniels. Randle is averaging 27.3 points per game without Edwards this season. He has scored 20 points in eight of nine games without Edwards and six of his last eight overall.
McDaniels has scored 15 points in four of his last seven games. He has scored 15 points in seven of nine games without Edwards this season while averaging 19.3 per game.
Pick: Julian Champagnie Over 6.5 Rebounds (-106, DraftKings)
Timberwolves vs. Spurs Parlay Picks
- Victor Wembanyama 30+ Points+Rebounds
- Julius Randle 20+ Points
- Jaden McDaniels 15+ Points
- Julian Champagnie 6+ Rebounds
Parlay Odds: +370 via DraftKings
Spurs vs Timberwolves Betting Trends
