T-Wolves vs. Celtics Betting Pick & Predicitons for Jan 10

Minnesota Timberwolves (26-10 SU, 17-18 ATS) vs. Boston Celtics (28-8 SU, 17-17 ATS)

When: Wednesday, January 10th, 7:00 PM (ET)

Where: TD Garden, MA, Boston

TV: NBCS

Point Spread: Min +7/Bos -7

Total: 224.5

Money Line: Minnesota Timberwolves +220/-274

Notable Injuries

Timberwolves

• Jaylen Clark (Out) Achilles

Celtics

• Jrue Holiday (Questionable) Elbow
• Al Horford (Questionable) Illness
• Kristaps Porzingis (Questionable) Right Knee

Recent Form

The Timberwolves are currently in 1st place in the Western Conference with a record of 26-10. They have gone 18-6 against other teams in the West and 8-4 in non-conference games.

When playing on the road, Minnesota has an average scoring margin of +2.6 points per game. Their road record is 12-8, and they are 9-10 ATS on the road.

At home, the Timberwolves have an average scoring margin of +9.6 points per game. Their home record is 14-2, but they have failed to cover the spread in their last four home games.

Overall, Minnesota has been the favorite in 28 of their 36 games and has a record of 22-6 in those games. Their ATS record as the favorite is 13-14.

So far this season, the Timberwolves have an O/U record of 19-17. The average over/under line in their games is 223.3 points, and the average combined score is 220.2 points.

At 28-8, the Celtics are in 1st place in the Eastern Conference and have won 17 straight home games. In terms of their overall record, Boston is 17-0 at home and 11-8 on the road.

Coming into today’s game, Boston is a 7-point favorite over the Timberwolves. This season, the Celtics have been favored in 34 of their 36 games and have a record of 26-8 in those games. Their average scoring margin in games they are favored in is 10 points per game.

Against the spread, the Celtics are 17-17 and have an ATS record of 10-6 at home and 7-11 on the road. When playing at home, Boston has an average scoring margin of +15.0 points per game.

So far, the Celtics have an over/under record of 20-16. Their games have an average combined score of 231.9 points per game, and their average over/under line is 230.1 points.

In games with higher over/under lines than today’s line of 224.5 points, Boston is 14-10 vs. the over. When the over/under line is lower than 224.5 points, the Celtics are 6-5 vs. the over.

In their last game, the Celtics lost to the Pacers by a score of 133-131. The over/under line for the game was 246.5 points, and the combined score of 264 points resulted in an over. Heading into the game, Boston was a 3-point favorite and failed to cover the spread.

The Historicals

When looking at how these teams have performed vs the spread in recent matchups, the Timberwolves have an ATS mark of 3-2. Yet, the Celtics have averaged more points per game in these contests, at 114 compared to Boston at 109. A combined average of 223 points per game was achieved in these matchups, leading to an over-under mark of 3-2.

Analysis

This season, the Timberwolves have been one of the most efficient shooting teams in the league, ranking 6th in field goal percentage and 4th in three-point shooting. However, they are just 22nd in scoring at 112.9 points per game.

On the road, Minnesota is averaging 113.2 points per game compared to 112.6 at home. So far, they have outscored the NBA scoring average in just 38.9% of their games.

In terms of pace, the Timberwolves are 24th in the league at 97.9 possessions per game. They are also 27th in offensive rebounds and 18th in assists.

This season, the Timberwolves defense has been impressive, holding the 1st position in the league while permitting an average of 107.2 points per contest. When it comes to forced turnovers, the Timberwolves are forcing 14.6 per game, which is 27th in the league. They also come into the game sitting 7th in blocked shots at 6 per game.

At home this season, the Celtics are averaging 123.1 points per game, which is 5th in the NBA. Overall, they are 5th in the NBA in scoring at 121.2 points per game. When it comes to three-point shooting, the Celtics are 1st in the NBA in both makes and attempts.

So far this season, the Celtics have outscored the NBA scoring average in 72.2% of their games. In terms of pace, Boston is 18th in the NBA at 98.8 possessions per game. When it comes to field goal percentage, the Celtics are 10th in the NBA at 48%.

When it comes to two-point shooting, the Celtics are 3rd in the NBA at 57%. In terms of assists, Boston is 16th in the league with an average of 26 per game. Finally, the Celtics are 10th in offensive rebounds at 11.3 per game.

The Celtics’ defense is presently ranked 4th in the league, allowing an average of 110.7 points per contest. On two-point field goal attempts, the Celtics’ defensive unit is allowing a field goal percentage of 51.3% and allowing 36.1% from beyond the arc.

Betting Trends

• When looking at their past three road matchups, Minnesota has an ATS record of 2-1 while averaging 114 per game. The team went 2-1 overall in these games.
• In their last three games at home, the Celtics have a straight-up record of 1-2 while going 1-2 vs the spread. The team’s offense averaged 124 points per game in these contests.
• The last three games that Minnesota was the underdog, they have an ATS mark of 1-2 while going 1-2 straight up.
• In their last five games as the betting favorite, the Celtics have a strong straight up record of 3-2. In addition, their ATS record was 3-2 in these scenarios.

Joes Pick To Cover The Spread

In a matchup of two of the top teams from the respective conferences, the Celtics are favored by 7 and carry their undefeated record at home into the game. Even with a few key names on the injury report, I’m taking Boston to pick up the win and cover. Minnesota’s offense is going to struggle with the length and athleticism of Boston’s lineup, and Minnesota has the disadvantage of playing last night.