Minnesota Timberwolves (19-21) vs. Houston Rockets (10-29)
January 8, 2023 7:00 pm EDT
The Line: Houston Rockets +2.5; Over/Under: +227.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Minnesota Timberwolves and the Houston Rockets duke it out in NBA action at the Toyota Center on Sunday night.
The Minnesota Timberwolves have been in decent form as they’ve split their last 12 games and they will be aiming for a fourth straight victory after routing the Clippers in a 128-115 home win on Friday. Rudy Gobert led the team with 25 points, 21 rebounds and two blocks, D’Angelo Russell added 25 points while Jaden McDaniels chipped in with 18 points on six of 10 shooting. As a team, the Timberwolves shot 56 percent from the field and 13 of 35 from the 3-point line as they jumped all over the Clippers from the start and poured in 68 points in the first half to take the lead, before they went on another run in the third quarter to push the lead out to 25 points.
Meanwhile, the Houston Rockets have been in a terrible slump as they’ve lost 11 of their last 12 games and they will be hoping to put an end to a six-game slide after getting routed by the Jazz in a 131-114 loss on Thursday. Jalen Green led the team with 30 points, Kevin Porter Jr added 23 points while Alperen Sengun chipped in with 20 points, 14 rebounds and three assists. As a team, the Rockets shot just 41 percent from the field and 15 of 42 from the 3-point line as they struggled to make their open shots early and fell behind right away, before they allowed 36 points in the fourth quarter to get blown out in the end.
Looking at the betting trends, the Timberwolves are 2-6 ATS in their last eight road games and 4-1 ATS in their last five games following a win. The Rockets are 2-5-1 ATS in their last eight home games, 1-4 ATS in their last five games following a loss and 1-5 ATS in their last six games overall.
Head to head, the Timberwolves are 4-1 ATS in the last five meetings overall.
The Timberwolves could be shorthanded once again as Naz Reid, Anthony Edwards and Bryn Forbes are all questionable, while the Rockets don’t have a single player listed on the injury report which is a real rarity these days. The Timberwolves come into this one as the team in better shape and they will be full of confidence after outlasting the Clippers in their last outing, so I’ll back the Timberwolves at the short line despite their injuries.
