Oklahoma City Thunder vs Minnesota Timberwolves Prediction, 1/20/2024 Preview and Pick

Game: Oklahoma City Thunder vs Minnesota Timberwolves

Date: Saturday, January 20, 2024

Location: Target Center in Minneapolis, MN

TV: Bally Sports North

Target Center is where the Minnesota Timberwolves (29-11) will take on the Oklahoma City Thunder (27-13) on Saturday.

The Thunder took the court against the Clippers and ended up losing by a score of 128-117 in their last contest. Oklahoma City finished the contest with a 50.6% field goal percentage (42 out of 83) and made 16 out of their 34 shots from 3-point land. From the free throw line, the Thunder buried 17 of their 20 attempts for a percentage of 85.0%. Concerning hauling in rebounds, they earned a total of 35 with 9 of them being of the offensive sort. They also distributed 30 assists in the matchup in addition to forcing 9 turnovers and having 5 steals. In terms of the defense, Oklahoma City allowed 54.0% from the field on 47 out of 87 shooting. Los Angeles doled out 30 assists and had 5 steals for the matchup. Moreover, Los Angeles had 39 rebounds (12 offensive, 27 defensive) and had 5 rejections. Los Angeles finished the game at 60.9% from the free throw line by converting 14 of 23 shots. They also made 20 of 43 shots from beyond the perimeter. When talking about personal fouls, the Thunder walked away with 19 while the Clippers totaled 18 personal fouls.

Jalen Williams is a player who was a major contributor in the game. He totaled 25 points on 10 out of 14 shooting. He played 33 mins and also grabbed 3 boards. Williams ended up going 71.4% from the floor and recorded 7 assists.

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Oklahoma City comes into this contest with a mark of 27-13 on the season. They have an average of 121.9 pts per game (3rd in basketball) while connecting on 50.5% from the field. The Thunder are shooting 39.1% on shots from distance (529 of 1,352) and 83.9% from the charity stripe. As a team, Oklahoma City is snagging 41.1 rebounds per contest and is sitting with 1,094 dimes so far this season, which is 10th in the league in terms of passing. They are giving up possession 12.5 times per contest and as a group they are committing 20.0 personal fouls on a nightly basis.

Defensively, the Thunder have forced 15.8 turnovers every game and they draw 19.5 personal fouls. They relinquish 35.7% on shots from distance while they are 14th in the NBA in points per game from their opponents (113.7). The Thunder defense is allowing an opponent FG percentage of 44.7% (1,608 of 3,595) and they concede 45.2 boards per game as a team. They rank 15th in the NBA in giving up assists to the opposition with 1,076 surrendered so far this year.

For their last game, the Timberwolves got the win with a final of 124-117 against the Pistons. The Timberwolves snagged 33 defensive rebounds and 9 offensive rebounds totaling 42 for the matchup. They coughed it up 9 times, while getting 7 steals for the matchup. The Pistons were called for 18 personal fouls in this matchup which got the Timberwolves to the charity stripe for a total of 21 attempts. They were able to make 15 of the free throw attempts for a clip of 71.4%. In terms of shots from beyond the arc, Minnesota made 15 of their 30 attempts (50.0%). When the final whistle was blown, the Timberwolves shot 47 for 93 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 50.5%. The Timberwolves permitted the Pistons to make 46 out of 89 tries from the floor which left them with a shooting percentage of 51.7% for the matchup. They finished 38.7% from three-point range by going 12 out of 31 and ended up shooting 13 of 19 at the free throw line (68.4%). In reference to how they cleaned up the glass, Minnesota permitted Detroit to snag 40 in total (8 offensive).

Anthony Edwards ended up being a major contributor for the Timberwolves in this matchup. He buried 10 of 24 for this game for a rate of 41.7%, and had 5 rebounds. Edwards earned 27 points in his 33 minutes on the court and earned 8 dimes for this game.

Minnesota has a mark of 29-11 so far this season. The Timberwolves are committing 19.6 fouls every game and they shoot 78.5% from the free throw line. They are assisting teammates 26.2 times per contest (15th in the league) and they lose possession via turnover 15.3 times per contest. Minnesota has 4,535 points on the season (113.4 per contest) and they snag 44.1 rebounds per game. On the offensive side of the ball, the Timberwolves are connecting on 48.9% from the floor, which has them ranked 6th in basketball.

The Minnesota defense surrenders 34.9% on shots from 3-point land (464 of 1,328) and opponents are converting on 79.8% of their shots from the free throw line. They have allowed 24.2 dimes and 40.9 boards per contest, which has them ranked 3rd and 3rd in basketball. The Timberwolves on the defensive side of the court are 1st in the league in PPG surrendered with 107.6. They are forcing their opponents into 14.0 TO's every game and have let teams shoot 44.5% from the floor (1st in the NBA).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Oklahoma City

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