Brooklyn Nets at Minnesota Timberwolves Betting Preview/Prop Pick
23 January 2022
The Brooklyn Nets have recently started to put all the pieces together. Harden and Irving are playing incredibly well together, and it showed in their recent win. With the team in control of the Eastern Conference, the Nets control their own future.
Unfortunately, Kevin Durant is out, but the Nets look to be in capable hands. They face a tough test in the Minnesota Timberwolves tonight.
The Minnesota Timberwolves currently have the No.9 spot in the Western Conference. A win over the Brooklyn Nets could bump them up a few spots in the conference. There is a chance they could get PG Patrick Beverley back into the lineup today.
Beverley has been dealing with a significant ankle injury and is listed “day-to-day.” They’ll definitely need him against Brooklyn.
Brooklyn Nets: Individual ball is out of the window now
After their latest win over the Spurs, we think the Nets have actually abandoned individual basketball. This was something very difficult to do considering all the superstars they have on the team.
Their last win made it two straight wins and brought them to a 29-16 record. James Harden put up a triple-double against the Spurs, and they’ll need another similar outing from him.
The Nets have the No.6 offense in the NBA, scoring an average of 111.91 per game. Their field-goal percentage ranks third in the NBA, shooting 47.33% from the field.
This shooting and scoring prowess will be needed against the Minnesota Timberwolves. They might not lead the Western Conference, but they recently beat the Warriors by twenty. Don’t underestimate them.
Minnesota Timberwolves: Narrow favorites to win this game
It might be surprising, but the Timberwolves are actually the favorite to win this one. This is likely due to injuries on Brooklyn’s side and their inability to cover spreads. This season, the Brooklyn Nets are 18-26-1 ATS, not inspiring much confidence.
The Timberwolves are better at 23-22; the question is, can the defense hold up? Especially against James Harden and the Brooklyn Nets.
Looking closely into this game, you can see a few things the Timberwolves do well. One of these things is rebounding, ranking No.11 in the NBA. If they can outrebound Brooklyn, they’ll give themselves more chances to score.
Creating scoring opportunities against a strong offense such as Brooklyn’s is paramount. Their main focus, however, is stopping James Harden.
Our pick for the Brooklyn Nets at Minnesota Timberwolves
The Brooklyn Nets are awful against the spread, which makes us lean away from them. Through their last thirteen games, the Nets are 4-9, which isn’t reassuring.
We’ll also point out that in their last ten games against the Timberwolves, the Nets are 4-6. In those ten games, their ATS record against the Timberwolves is 2-8. Needless to say, we’ll go with the Timberwolves.
Minnesota doesn’t have an incredible ATS record, but they’re more reliable. We’ve seen them beat great teams, such as the Warriors, very recently. They’ve also gone 5-1 in their last six games at home, making them the better bet here.
DunkelIndex Free Pick: Minnesota Timberwolves -2, UNDER
Prop Pick
Brooklyn (-110) UNDER 117.5 Points
The Timberwolves are allowing an average of 109.7 points per game, which ranks 19th in the league. That average decreases to 103.9 points per game at home, which ranks 6th in the league. Minnesota has gone UNDER in 23 of its last 32 games as a home favorite.
With Dunkel predicting a Minnesota victory by the score of 117-112, take the Nets (-120) to finish UNDER their Vegas team total of 117.5 points against the Timberwolves.
Karl-Anthony Towns (-110) OVER 23.5 Points
In Minnesota's last game, a 112-110 win over the Knicks, Karl-Anthony Towns had 20 points (6-12 FG, 2-4 3PT, 6-7 FT), five rebounds, and three assists, all below his season averages. Expect Towns to bounce back against the Nets and go over the 23.5 point line.
Be sure to check out all of today’s NBA picks!
