NBA Odds: Timberwolves-Celtics prediction, odds and pick

The Minnesota Timberwolves (16-16) visit the Boston Celtics (22-10) on Friday night at 7:40 pm ET. Minnesota has won three of their last four games but still sits in ninth place in the Western Conference. Boston has dropped four of its last five games, but remains in second place. This will be the first of two meetings between the teams.

The Timberwolves are underperforming after lofty preseason expectations. They are 11th in scoring and 15th on the offensive rating. Their defense is slightly worse, ranking 22nd in points allowed and 12th defensively. Karl-Anthony Towns is out again and Rudy Gobert is questionable. Anthony Edwards is thriving in the absence of KAT and Goberts. He's averaging 29 points, 29 rebounds, and nearly two steals in his last three games. The Celtics have a strong perimeter defense. Rudy Gobert returned from his injury on Wednesday and is expected to play.

The Celtics are second in the league in scoring and offensive rating. They are solid on defense as well, ranking 13th in points allowed and 7th on the defensive rating, but their offensive efficiency has declined recently. Marcus Smart is injured and they need to improve on their shooting to cover the spread. Minnesota has the fifth-highest three-point percentage in NBA. The Timberwolves are also the most accurate from the field.

The market has not adjusted to how poorly Boston has played over the last two weeks. Count on the road dogs to keep things close.

The Timberwolves are +10 to beat the Celtics.