Minnesota Timberwolves vs Sacramento Kings Prediction, 12/23/2023 Preview and Pick

Game: Minnesota Timberwolves vs Oklahoma City Thunder

Date: Tuesday, December 26, 2023

Location: Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, OK

TV: Bally Sports Oklahoma

Odds/Point Spread: Minnesota (+4)

The Oklahoma City Thunder (18-9) host the Minnesota Timberwolves (22-6) at Paycom Center on Tuesday. Oklahoma City opens this matchup as 4-point favorites from Vegas oddsmakers. The total is set at 228.

The Timberwolves played the Kings and went home with a win by a final score of 110-98 in their last contest. Minnesota finished the game with a 50.6% field goal percentage (44 out of 87) and converted 10 of their 33 3-point shots. At the charity stripe, the Timberwolves converted 12 of 14 attempts for a percentage of 85.7%. When discussing pulling down boards, they compiled 43 with 7 of them being of the offensive sort. They also doled out 31 assists in this matchup as well as forcing the opposition into 11 turnovers and earning 9 steals. With regard to defense, Minnesota allowed the other team to shoot 43.5% from the floor on 37 of 85 shooting. Sacramento recorded 23 assists and had 10 steals in the matchup. On top of that, Sacramento pulled down 40 boards (8 offensive, 32 defensive) and added 5 blocked shots. Sacramento shot 76.2% at the free throw line by making 16 of 21 attempts. They converted 8 of their 33 attempts from 3-point land. When discussing personal fouls, the Timberwolves ended up with 18 and the Kings finished the game with 20 personal fouls.

Anthony Edwards is a guy who came through in this contest. Edwards finished shooting 48.1% from the field and dished out 10 dimes. He saw the court for 39 minutes played and totaled 5 rebounds. He was able to score 34 points on 13 out of 27 shooting.

Get all of our NBA Expert Picks

Minnesota will play this game with a win-loss mark of 22-6 on the campaign. They are averaging 113.5 points per game (18th in basketball) while hitting 48.5% from the field. The Timberwolves are shooting 37.7% on shots from beyond the arc (334 of 887) and 79.6% from the free throw line. As a team, Minnesota is collecting 45.0 boards per game and is sitting with 733 dimes for the year, which has them ranked 23rd in the NBA in terms of passing the rock. They are losing possession via turnover 15.0 times per contest and as a team are committing 19.3 personal fouls per contest.

On defense, the Timberwolves are able to force 14.2 turnovers per contest while drawing 20.5 fouls. They relinquish 33.2% on 3-point shots and they rank 1st in the league in opponents PPG (106.6). The Timberwolves defensively are allowing a shooting percentage of 44.1% (1,102 of 2,498) and they surrender 41.2 rebounds per game as a squad. They are ranked 3rd in the NBA in giving up assists to their opponents with 674 conceded on the campaign.

In their last game, the Thunder went home defeated by a final of 129-120 against the Lakers. The Thunder corralled 31 defensive rebounds and 11 offensive rebounds totaling 42 for the game. They gave up possession of the ball 9 times, while recording 6 steals for this game. The Lakers were called for 13 fouls in this matchup which took the Thunder to the free throw line for a total of 19 tries. They were able to knock down 15 of them for a rate of 78.9%. When discussing three-point shots, Oklahoma City converted 13 out of 41 tries (31.7%). Overall, the Thunder finished shooting 46 for 95 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 48.4%. The Thunder permitted the Lakers to bury 47 out of their 90 attempts from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 52.2% for the matchup. They finished 50.0% from behind the 3-point line by going 16 out of 32 and walked away from this one shooting 19 of 23 from the free throw line (82.6%). When talking about rebounds, Oklahoma City allowed Los Angeles to grab 44 in all (8 offensive).

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was important for the Thunder in this matchup. He knocked down 12 out of 21 in this matchup for a field goal rate of 57.1%, and had 5 rebounds. Gilgeous-Alexander tallied 34 points in his 38 mins of playing time and added 7 dimes for the contest.

Oklahoma City has a win-loss record of 18-9 for the season. On the offensive side of the court, the Thunder are hitting on 49.2% from the floor, which has them ranked 3rd in the NBA. Oklahoma City has 3,259 pts for the season (120.7 per game) and they collect 41.4 boards per game. They are earning an assist 25.8 times per game (18th in the league) and they lose possession via turnover 12.7 times per game. The Thunder have committed 19.8 fouls per game and they shoot 85.5% from the charity stripe.

The Oklahoma City defense gives up 36.1% on shots from 3-point land (379 of 1,050) and their opponents are knocking down 79.1% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have surrendered 27.1 assists and 46.4 rebounds per game, which is ranked 22nd and 29th in the NBA. The Thunder on the defensive side of the court are 14th in the league in points given up per game with 113.6. They are able to force 16.4 turnovers on a nightly basis and have allowed teams to shoot 44.4% from the floor (3rd in the league).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Oklahoma City (-4)

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here