Minnesota Timberwolves vs. San Antonio Spurs: 3 Best Bets
The San Antonio Spurs tip off the NBA In-Season Tournament against the Minnesota Timberwolves on the road at 7:00 p.m. The Spurs have lost three straight games and are looking for some redemption, but they will have their hands full.
The Timberwolves have been praised this season for boasting the league’s best defense, and it’s not even close. The Wolves only give up 101.1 points per game, largely thanks to Rudy Gobert returning to form.
The Spurs, conversely, are one of the worst defensive teams in the league and simply cannot guard the three-point line. Fortunately, the Wolves are not a trigger-happy team, shooting the fifth-fewest threes per game and only making 11.6 per night.
Victor Wembanyama has not score 15 points in either of the Spurs' last two games.
© Brad Penner, USA TODAY
All that aside, the Wolves have won four straight, including wins over the Denver Nuggets and Boston Celtics, which should not inspire confidence for Spurs fans. The Spurs are heavy underdogs in this game, but we still found three solid bets, courtesy of SI Sportsbook.
The Lines
Point spread: Timberwolves -6.5 (-118)/Spurs +6.5 (-118)
Moneyline: Timberwolves (-275)/Spurs (+200)
Over/under: 225.5
Our Picks
Safe pick: Victor Wembanyama OVER 17.5 points (-118)
Victor Wembanyama has posted two duds in a row, against the Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks. Finding the basket has been tough for him, but a return to San Antonio should see that change, sort of. His height alone makes him difficult to guard, so he could be the only Spur able to get shots off. Granted, he will be going up against Rudy Gobert–one of the best defenders ever–but he gave the Stifle Tower the work back in 2020, so maybe he can replicate it tonight.
Team pick: UNDER 225.5 total points (-118)
Both the Timberwolves and Spurs run mediocre offenses, so generally they don’t score very much. The Spurs have the match-up against the best defense in the league, so their usually middling offense will be slowed down even more. The Wolves score the 19th most points in the league, which is below average, but they get a boost because they get to face off against the Spurs lineup. That being said, it shouldn’t be enough for a high-scoring night.
Opponent pick: Anthony Edwards OVER 26.5 points (-111)
Gobert and Wembanyama will have their own battle going on, but Anthony Edwards will get to do whatever he wants. A committee of Devin Vassell, Jeremy Sochan, and Keldon Johnson will not be enough to stop Edwards, who is tenth in the league in scoring. He scored 38 points against the Celtics, and they are much better defensively than the Spurs. Expect Edwards to have his way with the Silver and Black.
The fact that the Spurs are only 6.5-point dogs is shocking. Both teams are coming in with some rest, and the Spurs do not have an answer defensively for Edwards, and might not have an answer offensively aside from Wembanyama.
