Celtics vs Timberwolves Predictions, Player Props & Best Odds (Jan. 2)

• Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics visit Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday night
• The T-Wolves blew a 12-point second-half lead in OKC last time out, while the C’s won by 54 against Toronto
• See the Celtics vs Timberwolves predictions, player props, and best available odds on Jan. 2

An heavyweight interconference tilt highlights the NBA schedule on Thursday as the Boston Celtics (24-9, 11-3 away, 13-20 ATS) pay a visit to the Minnesota Timberwolves (17-15, 9-6 home, 13-19 ATS) at the Target Center at 6:40 pm CT/7:40 pm ET. Coming off a ludicrous 125-71 win over Toronto, Boston is listed as a 3.5-point road favorite in Thursday’s NBA odds.

Boston Celtics vs Minnesota Timberwolves Predictions

• Timberwolves moneyline (+150) at FanDuel
  

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  Odds as of Jan. 2. Claim the FanDuel promo code to bet on any NBA game on Thursday night. 

The first matchup between these teams back on November 24 was a curious affair. A three-point game at the half, Boston opened up a 19-point lead midway through the third quarter. But Minnesota came almost all the way back, closing the gap to two with 2:04 on the clock before ultimately falling 107-105.

Anthony Edwards (24.8 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 3.9 APG) lead the Wolves with 28, while Jaylen Brown (24.6 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 4.6 APG) had a game-high 29 for the C’s.

Unfortunately for Boston, both Brown (shoulder) and Kristaps Porzingis (ankle) are officially listed as questionable for Thursday’s game in Minnesota.

Porzingis also missed Boston’s last game, an absolute laugher against Toronto (125-71), which saw seven different Celtics hit double-figures, including seldom-used Jordan Walsh. Jayson Tatum (28.3 PPG, 9.5 RPG, 5.5 APG) had a team-high 23 points in just 29 minutes.

Minnesota showed its sky-high ceiling against the West-leading OKC Thunder last time out, building a seven-point lead on the road by halftime and stretching it to 12 early in the third quarter. But that’s when the wheels came off and a 65-53 lead turned into an 89-75 deficit during a 36-10 OKC run.

Edwards led Minnesota with just 20 points while the T-Wolves’ defense was torched for 40 by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the current frontrunner in the NBA MVP odds.

I am siding with the Timberwolves on Thursday, and not just against the spread, but also straight-up. Boston’s win over Toronto notwithstanding, the team has been uncharacteristically inconsistent over the past two weeks, going just 3-4 SU despite five of those seven games coming on their home court.

These teams also have a history of playing hyper-tight games. The last four either went to OT or were decided by a single bucket, which convinces me all the more that the value is on Minnesota at +150, which carries an implied win probability of just 40%. Thursday’s game is much closer to a 50/50 toss-up.

BOS vs MIN Player Props

NBA player props from DraftKings on Jan. 2.

Tatum leads the point totals on Thursday night with an O/U of 26.5. Edwards is just one point lower at 25.5, while Brown (22.5) is the only other player over 20. Rudy Gobert has the highest rebound total at 10.5 while four different players have a game-high assist total of 4.5.

Best Celtics vs Timberwolves Odds

There is a full one-point range in Thursday’s Celtics/Timberwolves point spread. Most books have it at Boston -4.0, but the number is as high as 4.5 at FanDuel and as low as 3.5 at ESPN Bet.

FanDuel also has the longest moneyline odds on a Minnesota victory at +150. The best Celtics moneyline is -170, which is available at all of bet365, Caesars, DraftKings, and ESPN Bet.

The game total ranges from 220.5 to 221.0. The best option for over bettors is 220.5 (-115) at bet365 or ESPN Bet, while the best option for under bettors is 221.0 (-110) at FanDuel.

The NBA public betting trends are all over the Celtics against the spread. As of 9:15 am ET, Boston is getting 81% of ATS handle. That said, the Timberwolves have attracted 63% of moneyline handle on just 16% of the bets, meaning there is one or more big bets on Minnesota to win straight-up.