Oklahoma City Thunder vs Minnesota Timberwolves Prediction, 4/14/2023 Preview and Pick

Game: Oklahoma City Thunder vs Minnesota Timberwolves

Date: Friday, April 14, 2023

Location: Target Center in Minneapolis, MN

TV: ESPN

Odds/Point Spread: Oklahoma City (+5)

The Minnesota Timberwolves are welcoming the Oklahoma City Thunder at Target Center on Friday. Oklahoma City opens this game as 5-point dogs. The over/under comes in at 227.5.

The Thunder played the Pelicans and went home with a win by a final score of 123-118 in their last contest. In the matter of fouls, the Thunder finished with 19 while the Pelicans had 23 fouls. They knocked down 9 of 28 attempts from long range. New Orleans finished 83.3% from the free throw line by knocking down 25 of 30 shots. Additionally, New Orleans grabbed 48 rebounds (14 offensive, 34 defensive) and added 5 blocks. New Orleans doled out 27 assists and had 5 steals for the matchup. In reference to defense, Oklahoma City allowed their opponent to shoot 48.3% from the floor on 42 of 87 shooting. They also distributed 25 assists for the contest in addition to forcing the other team into 11 turnovers and having 7 steals. When it comes to rebounding, they collected 38 with 13 of them being on the offensive end. From the free throw line, the Thunder converted 28 of their 32 attempts for a rate of 87.5%. Oklahoma City wrapped up the contest with a 45.7% FG percentage (42 out of 92) and converted 11 of 37 shots from 3-point land.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a player who played a role for this contest. Gilgeous-Alexander finished the contest at 50.0% from the field and also distributed 3 assists. He played for 41 minutes played and also grabbed 5 rebounds. He accounted for 32 points on 11 out of 22 shooting.

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Oklahoma City heads into this contest with a win-loss mark of 40-42 for the season. They lose possession by turning the ball over 13.0 times per game and as a team they are committing 21.0 fouls per game. As a team, Oklahoma City is snagging 43.6 rebounds per game and has earned 2,002 assists on the season, which ranks 21st in the NBA in terms of passing. The Thunder are hitting 35.6% from downtown (995 of 2,797) and 80.9% from the charity stripe. They are averaging 117.5 pts per contest (5th in the NBA) while connecting on 46.5% from the field.

When they are on defense, the Thunder are forcing 16.8 turnovers every game while drawing 20.4 fouls. They give up 35.8% on 3-point attempts and they rank 19th in basketball in PPG allowed (116.4). The Thunder are giving up a shooting percentage of 47.4% (3,437 of 7,252) and they surrender 46.6 boards per game as a team. They are ranked 20th in the league in allowing assists to the opposition with 2,126 surrendered on the campaign.

When they last stepped on the court, the Timberwolves took a loss by a score of 108-102 when they played the Lakers. When talking about team rebounding, Minnesota allowed Los Angeles to get 48 in all (12 on the offensive side). They finished 32.3% from distance by going 10 of 31 and finished the contest at 22 out of 24 at the free throw line (91.7%). The Timberwolves permitted the Lakers to convert 38 of 92 tries from the field which had them shooting 41.3% for the matchup. When this game wrapped up, the Timberwolves ended up going 36 out of 83 from the floor which had them at 43.4%. With respect to shots from distance, Minnesota made 16 out of their 41 attempts (39.0%). They were able to knock down 14 of them for a rate of 93.3%. The Lakers had 15 personal fouls in the matchup which got the Timberwolves to the free throw line for a total of 15 shots. They also turned it over 24 times, while earning 13 steals in this contest. The Timberwolves were able to collect 33 defensive rebounds and 4 offensive boards totaling 37 in this game.

Karl-Anthony Towns was important for the Timberwolves for the game. He made 8 of 12 for the game for a rate of 66.7%, and had 11 rebounds. Towns had 24 points in his 41 mins on the court and totaled 5 assists for the game.

Minnesota has a record of 42-40 for the campaign. The Timberwolves commit 21.6 personal fouls per contest and they go 75.5% from the free throw line. They are dishing out assists 26.2 times per contest (8th in basketball) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 15.3 times per game. Minnesota has totaled 9,494 pts so far this season (115.8 per game) and they collect 41.9 boards per contest. On the offensive side of the court, the Timberwolves are connecting on 49.0% from the floor, which is ranked 3rd in the league.

The Timberwolves defensively are ranked 18th in the league in points per game surrendered with 115.8. They are forcing 15.4 turnovers per game and have let teams shoot 47.1% from the field (11th in the NBA). The Minnesota defense concedes 36.9% on shots from distance (1,007 of 2,728) and their opposition knocks down 76.6% of their shots from the free throw line. They surrender 25.0 assists and 44.7 total boards per game, which ranks them 12th and 22nd in basketball.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Minnesota (-5)

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