Clippers vs Timberwolves Odds, Picks, and Predictions Tonight: Minnesota Mutes L.A. Offense

Our critiques of NBA scheduling focus on back-to-backs, moments that often lead players to sit out games. What the NBA did for the Los Angeles Clippers this weekend warrants as much criticism. They finished a win against the Wizards about 38 hours before this afternoon’s game tips off, that win in Los Angeles and today a road game against the Minnesota Timberwolves as a slight road underdog according to NBA odds.

The Timberwolves haven’t had a long weekend, by any means, but they at least had two extra hours between Friday night’s overtime loss and today, plus they didn’t need to catch a four-hour flight in the interim. 

With a slight rest advantage, it makes sense to expect Minnesota to lengthen its four-game winning streak against Los Angeles, the opening value in my free NBA picks as I preview the Clippers vs Timberwolves on March 3.

Clippers vs Timberwolves odds

Clippers vs Timberwolves predictions

The Minnesota Timberwolves winning ways against the Los Angeles Clippers defy a bit of comprehension. The Timberwolves have won four straight and six of their last seven, including four wins when the Clippers were favored. Minnesota has worked through point guards — from Patrick Beverley to D’Angelo Russell to Mike Conley — in this winning streak. It has won at home and on the road, and even in the postseason.

Minnesota seems to have L.A.'s number. And the credit belongs to Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels, with a splash of Kyle Anderson. Their length stymies Paul George and Kawhi Leonard’s isolation attacks, at least relatively speaking. The star duo has played together in only three of these games, but they've combined to average 42 points in those chances, far from what Los Angeles needs from its best two players.

Now, both Edwards and Anderson are questionable today, the former with a sore ankle and the latter with a knee sprain that has cost him the last two games.

Enter Nickeil Alexander-Walker.

Which is to say, somehow the Timberwolves have another defender who can offer this kind of deterrence. And if granting the premise that Minnesota’s length and defense has created a matchup problem for Los Angeles, then Alexander-Walker’s presence should help the Timberwolves continue this winning streak.

Not enough credit is given to the Timberwolves’ consistency this season, suffering two-game losing streaks only twice this season and not yet losing more than two games in a row. After Friday’s overtime frustration, that kind of consistency adds another layer of consideration today.

It is a bit illogical to look at a team as good as Los Angeles and chalk up anyone as being a bad matchup, but six out of seven is enough of a stretch to put some faith in. McDaniels and Alexander-Walker should continue this trend, simply a bad perimeter matchup for a star-heavy roster so dependent on perimeter isolations.

My best bet: Timberwolves moneyline (-110 at FanDuel)

Clippers vs Timberwolves same-game parlay

Timberwolves moneyline

Under 219.5

Anthony Edwards Under 27.5 points

+550 at DraftKings

Neither team has gotten proper rest. A team playing Friday night and Sunday afternoon with both games at home is arguably reasonable. Arguably. But throw in an overtime and it becomes more fraught.

No team should have to play past midnight ET on Friday night, fly halfway across the country and play mid-afternoon on Sunday. That is simply the NBA actively diminishing its product.

The impact today should be at least one sloppy quarter and thus inspiring an Under.

No one on either roster is more desperate for sleep right now than Anthony Edwards. He left Friday’s game at halftime to be at the hospital for the birth of his daughter. The availability report lists him as questionable due to left ankle soreness, but missing the game today because of the newborn would be understandable, as well.

Edwards won’t want to do that, though. There is a reason he played in Friday’s first half. He knew his partner could go into labor at any minute, but the shooting guard hates missing games. He regularly plays through injury when the Timberwolves have left the door open for him to take a night off.

He likely will insist on taking the court today, even if he hasn’t gotten more than a few hours sleep since Friday, not to mention the adrenaline surge he certainly experienced the last couple days.

And in that state, doubting the dynamic Edwards holds more merit than usual.

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

Clippers vs Timberwolves spread and Over/Under analysis

The Clippers actually opened as 1.5-point favorites on Saturday afternoon or Sunday morning, whenever your respective sportsbook hung a number. Before the sun rose, the Timberwolves had become favorites, some books jumping as high as -2 before aligning at -1.5.

Three weeks ago, Minnesota was a five-point underdog at Los Angeles, winning by 21. Ignore that margin of victory and focus on the spread. The change in venue today should move it by three or four points, so opening with the Clippers around -1.5 made sense. The power ratings of these teams have not fluctuated that much since February 12, especially since a full week of that stretch was the All-Star Break.

The subsequent three-point move ties to Los Angeles’s fatigue and perhaps Russell Westbrook’s broken hand. For that matter, moving through zero turns it into the equivalent of a two-point move.

The total opened at 219.5 and bounced between 220.5 and 219.5 throughout the night and into the morning, both numbers still available on Sunday.

Clippers vs Timberwolves betting trend to know

Los Angeles has gone 2-7 against the spread in its last nine games, falling short of bookmaker's expectations by an average of 9.4 points even when including the two covers. Find more NBA betting trends for Clippers vs. Timberwolves.

Clippers vs Timberwolves game info

Clippers vs Timberwolves latest injuries

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