Knicks vs. Timberwolves Prediction, Odds and Best NBA Prop Bets for Thursday, Dec. 19

Revenge could be in the air in the Knicks-Timberwolves matchup.

Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle is a solid prop target tonight. / Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images

Will there be some bad blood in Minnesota on Thursday night?

The New York Knicks and Minnesota Timberwolves both return to action from extended layoffs, and Karl-Anthony Towns returns home to face that franchise that traded him just days before training camp. 

The same could be said for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo, who will look for some revenge on their former Knicks teammates as slight road favorites on Thursday.

After a slow start, the Wolves are playing much better as of late, winning six of their last 10 games and improving to 8-4 straight up at home.

The Knicks, who were upset in the NBA Cup against Atlanta, bounced back on Sunday with a win over the Orlando Magic to move to 16-10 on the season. New York still remains one of the best offenses in the NBA (No. 3 in offensive rating) since executing the Towns trade.

Here’s a full breakdown of the odds, injury reports, best prop bets and my prediction for this matchup on Thursday. 

Knicks vs. Timberwolves Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Spread

• Knicks +2.5 (-110)
• Timberwolves -2.5 (-110)

Moneyline

• Knicks: +120
• Timberwolves: -142

Total

• 214.5 (Over -108/Under -112)

Knicks vs. Timberwolves How to Watch

• Date: Thursday, Dec. 19
• Time: 9:30 p.m. EST
• Venue: Target Center
• How to Watch (TV): TNT
• Knicks record: 16-10
• Timberwolves record: 14-11

Knicks vs. Timberwolves Injury Reports

Knicks Injury Report

• Boo Buie III – out
• Pacome Dadiet – out
• Ariel Hukporti – out
• Kevin McCullar Jr. – out
• Mitchell Robinson – out

Timberwolves Injury Report

• Jaylen Clark – out
• Jesse Edwards – out
• Joe Ingles – out
• Leonard Miller – out
• Daishen Nix – out

Knicks vs. Timberwolves Best NBA Prop Bets

New York Knicks Best NBA Prop Bets

• Josh Hart OVER 11.5 Rebounds and Assists (-135)

Josh Hart’s rebounding numbers have been down over the last few games, but I’m going to bet on him here in what may be a more defensive game (Minnesota is fourth in the NBA in defensive rating).

Hart is still averaging 8.2 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game, putting up at least 12 rebounds and assists in 17 of his 26 games this season. He’s averaging 14.4 rebounds chances and 9.2 potential assists per game, giving him a great floor when it comes to clearing this prop. 

Minnesota Timberwolves Best NBA Prop Bets

• Julius Randle OVER 19.5 Points (-105)

A revenge game for Julius Randle?

The Timberwolves forward gets to face his former team, and I’m betting on him reaching his season average (20.1 points per game) in this matchup. 

Randle has 16 games (out of 25) with at least 20 points. I expect him to thrive against a Knicks team that he knows very well. 

Knicks vs. Timberwolves Prediction and Pick

So far this season, the Timberwolves have been one of the better UNDER teams in the NBA, but they’ve still gone just 14-11 to the UNDER overall.

Meanwhile, the Knicks are 14-12 to the OVER and have a top-three offense in the NBA.

Last season, the Wolves were the No. 1 defense in the NBA, but they’ve taken a little bit of a step back this season, ranking fourth in the league. This is still a clash of styles, although both teams are in the bottom 10 in the league in pace, which could be a reason why oddsmakers are projecting such a low total.

That being said, the Knicks are not a good defense (16th in defensive rating) and have allowed 110.1 points per game. Even the Wolves’ elite defense has given up 105.6 points per game – which means we’d hit the OVER in this matchup. 

I think this total is a little too low for these squads on Thursday night. 

Pick: OVER 214.5 (-108)

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Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on  BetStamp here.