Free NBA Picks Today: Oklahoma City Thunder vs Minnesota Timberwolves 12/16/22

Free NBA Picks Today: Oklahoma City Thunder vs Minnesota Timberwolves 12/16/22
Fri 16th December 2022

The Minnesota Timberwolves (13-15, 6-8 Away) travel to face the Oklahoma City Thunder (11-17, 6-6 Home) Friday in what should be a fast-paced game. Minnesota was defeated by the Los Angeles Clippers 99-88 at Crypto.com Arena on Wednesday, their third consecutive loss. With 19 points and seven rebounds, Anthony Edwards had a standout performance in the losing effort. The Timberwolves are the 11th seed in the Western Conference.

Oklahoma City lost their fourth in a row in a close one on Wednesday at Paycom Center, falling to the Miami Heat 110-108. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 27 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists in the loss to lead the team.

The Thunder are the 13th seed in the Western Conference. It’s the final meeting of the season between the teams. Oklahoma City will be looking to even the season series after taking only one of the three prior games, including a 135-128 victory at Target Center on December 3.

Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 33 points and six assists. D’Angelo Russell had 27 points and six assists in the loss. Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns, averaging 22.5 and 20.8 points per game, respectively, have led the T’Wolves in scoring this season. Both are among the league’s top scorers, as Edwards is No. 1 and Towns is first.

Meanwhile, Rudy Gobert is grabbing 12.2 rebounds per game, most in the league, and Russell is dishing 6.3 assists (1st).Gilgeous-Alexander has powered the Thunder on offense, averaging 31.0 points per game. He has the top scoring average in the NBA. Gilgeous-Alexander also has tallied 5.8 assists per game, most in the league.

Josh Giddey has averaged 7.9 rebounds per game. Expect plenty of transition action in this matchup that showcases two of the league’s most up-and-down teams, as the Thunder and the Timberwolves rank second and fifth, respectively, in possessions per game.

The Timberwolves have found success in recent trips to Paycom Center, winning seven of the last 10. Minnesota has lost three straight on the road this season.

In the last 10 games, Minnesota is 3-7 with an average margin of -6.1 (114.3-120.4). Oklahoma City has a 4-6 record over the last 10, allowing 115.9 points per game on average while scoring only 113.0 (-2.9 margin).

TIMBERWOLVES HOT/COLD

(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Kyle Anderson: 22.2 | 15.3 | +6.9
Jordan McLaughlin: 6.0 | 9.3 | -3.3
Points per game:
D’Angelo Russell: 26.3 | 16.6 | +9.6
Rebounds per game:
Rudy Gobert: 15.2 | 12.2 | +3.0
Assists per game:
D’Angelo Russell: 4.3 | 6.3 | -2.1

THUNDER HOT/COLD

(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Tre Mann: 6.6 | 12.6 | -6.0
Points per game:
Aleksej Pokusevski: 5.6 | 8.8 | -3.2

SportsTips’ NBA Pick:

Minnesota Timberwolves (+115)

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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.

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