NBA picks: Timberwolves vs. Clippers prediction, odds, over/under, spread, injury report for Tuesday, March 12

A heavyweight showdown in the Western Conference takes place Tuesday evening when the Minnesota Timberwolves (44-21) battle the Los Angeles Clippers (41-22). Both teams are within striking distance of the top overall seed in the conference and are only separated by one game in the standings from each other. Minnesota has lost the last two games, while Los Angeles comes into this game off a loss to the Bucks. This is the fourth meeting between these sides, with the Timberwolves winning two of the first three encounters.

Minnesota has listed Anthony Edwards, Rudy Gobert and Kyle Anderson as questionable. Edwards is expected to play. The Clippers are still without Russell Westbrook, while Paul George and Kawhi Leonard are questionable. Both George and Leonard are expected to play.

The Clippers are 6.5-point favorites according to DraftKings Sportsbook with the total sitting at 215. Los Angeles is -258 on the moneyline while Minnesota is +210.

Timberwolves vs. Clippers, 10 p.m. ET

Pick ATS: Clippers -6.5

The Timberwolves are 9-7 ATS as underdogs this season but 6-7 ATS as road underdogs. They’ve struggled since the All-Star break, covering in just two games. The Clippers are 16-15 ATS as the home team and 16-13 ATS as a home favorite. They’ve covered the spread in just three games since the break.

Towns being sidelined has put a burden on Minnesota, but Edwards is starting to show he can step up. The question is whether he’ll have the full complement of rotation players with Gobert and Anderson banged up. The Clippers should get their stars back and are the safer pick right now until there’s further injury clarity.

Over/Under: Over 215

The Timberwolves have gone over their totals in the last two games and three of the last four. The Clippers have gone over their totals in two of the last three games. Even though the last meeting between these teams went comically under this number, I think both squads have found their footing offensively since then. Minnesota is 20-14 to the over as the road team while LA is 12-18-1 to the over as the home team. I think this number is low enough where the over should hit, provided most of the injured players do suit up.