Minnesota Timberwolves vs Oklahoma City Thunder Prediction, 12/16/2022 Preview and Pick

Game: Minnesota Timberwolves vs Oklahoma City Thunder

Date: Friday, December 16, 2022

Location: Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, OK

TV: Bally Sports Oklahoma

The Oklahoma City Thunder will go up against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Paycom Center on Friday.

The Timberwolves took the court against the Clippers and walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 99-88 in their last contest. Minnesota ended the contest with a 41.9% field goal percentage (31 of 74) and knocked down 4 of their 22 shots from beyond the arc. From the charity stripe, the Timberwolves buried 22 of 30 attempts for a rate of 73.3%. Concerning hauling in rebounds, they compiled 43 with 7 of them being offensive. They also distributed 15 assists for the game while creating 14 turnovers and earning 9 steals. In relation to defense, Minnesota let their opponent shoot 38.2% from the floor on 34 of 89 shooting. Los Angeles doled out 21 dimes and had 8 steals for the contest. Moreover, Los Angeles had 52 rebounds (14 offensive, 38 defensive) and had 4 rejections. Los Angeles ended up going 81.0% at the free throw line by making 17 of their 21 shots. They also converted 14 of 46 tries from distance. Regarding personal fouls, the Timberwolves ended up finishing with 20 while the Clippers totaled 21 personal fouls.

Anthony Edwards is a player who played a role for this game. Edwards went 42.9% from the floor and recorded 3 dimes. He was on the hardwood for 37 mins and totaled 7 rebounds. He ended up scoring 19 points on 6 out of 14 shooting.

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Minnesota will enter this matchup with a win-loss mark of 13-15 on the campaign. They currently have an average of 114.3 pts per game (12th in the NBA) while hitting 48.5% from the floor. The Timberwolves are hitting 33.0% on three-point attempts (301 of 912) and 78.5% from the free throw line. As a team, Minnesota is collecting 42.7 boards per contest and has accounted for 726 assists on the campaign, which ranks 12th in basketball in terms of passing the ball. They are losing possession via turnover 16.5 times per contest and as a group are committing 21.9 fouls every game.

On the defensive end, the Timberwolves have forced 15.9 turnovers every game and they draw 20.9 personal fouls. They are ranked 25th in the league in allowing assists to the opposition with 738 conceded so far this year. The Timberwolves are allowing a shooting percentage of 45.9% (1,162 of 2,529) and they concede 44.8 boards per contest as a unit. They give up 37.4% on 3-point attempts while they are 24th in the NBA in points per game allowed (116.1).

When they last stepped on the court, the Thunder took a loss by a score of 110-108 when they played the Heat. When it comes to how they rebounded, Oklahoma City allowed Miami to get 39 in total (7 offensive). They shot 42.9% from distance by going 24 out of 56 and ended up going 12 out of 15 at the free throw line (80.0%). The Thunder allowed the Heat to make 37 out of their 86 tries from the floor which gave them a percentage of 43.0% for this contest. When the game finished, the Thunder walked away from this one shooting 41 for 82 from the floor which gave them a rate of 50.0%. When discussing shooting from beyond the arc, Oklahoma City converted 9 out of 24 tries (37.5%). They were able to make 17 of the free throws for a rate of 73.9%. The Heat had 21 fouls in this contest which got the Thunder to the charity stripe for 23 shots. They also gave up possession 14 times, while recording 7 steals for the game. The Thunder collected 37 defensive boards and 7 offensive rebounds for a total of 44 for the matchup.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ended up being a major contributor for the Thunder in this matchup. Gilgeous-Alexander scored 27 points in his 36 minutes on the court and had 7 dimes for the game. He made 10 of 20 in this contest giving him a rate of 50.0%, and had 8 rebounds.

Oklahoma City has a win-loss mark of 11-17 this season. In terms of offensive execution, the Thunder are hitting on 46.2% from the floor, which is 22nd in the league. Oklahoma City has totaled 3,234 points so far this season (115.5 per contest) and they collect 44.6 rebounds per game. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 24.2 times per game (19th in the league) and they are giving up possession 14.2 times per contest. The Thunder are committing 21.5 fouls every game and they hit 79.9% from the charity stripe.

The Oklahoma City defense gives up 36.4% on three-point shots (369 of 1,014) and opponents are knocking down 78.9% of their shots from the charity stripe. They give up 24.9 dimes and 48.5 boards on a nightly basis, which is 12th and 30th in the league. The Thunder on defense are ranked 28th in the NBA in points allowed per game with 117.4. They are able to force 17.1 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 46.6% from the floor (12th in the league).

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Oklahoma City

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