The Boston Celtics (24-9) and Minnesota Timberwolves (17-15) will square off in the NBA tonight. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET from the Target Center in Minneapolis. The game will broadcast live on TNT.
The Celtics are 2.5-point road favorites over the Timberwolves on the spread (Celtics -2.5), with the over/under set at 216 total points. Boston is a -135 favorite to win outright, while Minnesota is +115 to pull off the upset.
Let's get into my Celtics vs. Timberwolves predictions and NBA picks for Thursday night.
Celtics vs. Timberwolves Picks, Prediction
Spread
My Timberwolves vs. Celtics best bet is on Minnesota to cover the spread, with the best line currently available at DraftKings. But as always, make sure to shop for the best price using our live NBA odds page.
Over/Under
I'm staying away from the total in tonight's contest.
My Pick: Timberwolves +4.5 (-130)
Celtics vs. Timberwolves Odds, Spread, Over/Under
| Celtics Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-2.5 -110 | 216 -110 / -110 | -135 |
| Timberwolves Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+2.5 -110 | 216 -110 / -110 | +115 |
- Celtics vs. Timberwolves spread: Celtics -2.5
- Celtics vs. Timberwolves over/under: 216 total points
- Celtics vs. Timberwolves moneyline: Timberwolves +115, Celtics -135
- Celtics vs. Timberwolves best bet: Timberwolves +4 (-130)
Boston Celtics vs. Minnesota Timberwolves Preview
The Celtics head to Minnesota to take on the Timberwolves in their first game of the new year on Thursday evening. Both of these teams have been sluggish of late going 5-5 over their last 10 games. Let's dive into which team will start the New Year with a win.
This is the front-end of a back-to-back set for the Celtics, who play the Rockets on Friday night so we need to keep an eye on the injury report with Jaylen Brown (shoulder) and Kristaps Porzingis (ankle) both listed as Questionable for this game.
The Celtics still remain elite at 24-9 with the second-best Adjusted Net Rating (+8.8) and the best Adjusted Offensive Rating (118.8) in the NBA, per Dunks and Threes.
The Timberwolves are 10th in Adjusted Net (+2.4) and are being led by their Defense (108.7 – 4th). Both of these teams have been miserable ATS with Boston at 13-20 and Minnesota at 13-19. Minnesota's one relative bright spot has been they are 3-2 as an underdog.
Boston's biggest edge is that they generally take and make more three-point attempts than anyone else. Minnesota takes the fifth-highest frequency of 3s, which tempers that Boston edge.
Considering both teams rank bottom-10 in Pace, it does not necessarily allow either team to play through, as much of the shooting variance that comes from beyond the arc.
Interestingly enough, when these teams play teams with top-10 defenses, it's Minnesota that has the better Net Rating and Boston is -4.1 in terms of spread differential against those teams, per Cleaning the Glass.
Celtics vs. Timberwolves Predictions, Best Bets
The Wolves match up well from a stylistic perspective against Boston. Add in the potential for Brown and/or Porzingis to miss tonight's contest, and there's value on Minnesota to cover the spread at anything more than one possession.
For my same game parlay, I'm looking at Wolves +3.5, Anthony Edwards 20+ Points, and Randle 2+ Three-Pointers.
Best Bet: Timberwolves +4.5 (-130)
Celtics vs. Timberwolves Parlay Picks
- Anthony Edwards 20+ Points (-400)
- Julius Randle 2+ Three-Pointers Made (-130)
- Timberwolves +4.5 (-130)
Parlay Payout: +237
Celtics vs. Timberwolves Betting Trends
