Nets vs. Timberwolves prediction: NBA odds, best bets for Saturday
The Brooklyn Nets began February with an impressive 136-121 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers as short road underdogs.
Since that rout, they have lost six of their last seven games with the lone win coming against the San Antonio Spurs, who own the worst record in the Western Conference.
Following a 21-33 start, the Nets fired head coach Jacque Vaughn on Monday after a 50-point loss in his final game – the franchise’s worst loss since leaving New Jersey.
On Thursday, with interim coach Kevin Ollie pacing the sidelines, Brooklyn lost by only 28 to the Raptors.
The players didn’t exactly impress the new boss with a season-high 20 turnovers that Toronto turned into 32 points.
On Saturday night, the Nets travel to Minneapolis to battle the Timberwolves, who dropped into a first-place tie atop the Western Conference standings with Oklahoma City after a 112-107 home loss to the Bucks on Friday.
Solid performances by Karl-Anthony Towns (22 points, 14 rebounds) and Rudy Gobert (12 points, 19 rebounds) wasn’t enough for the Wolves, who were doomed after being outscored by 23 points in the third quarter.
Friday night’s game was the first of seven straight home games for Minnesota, but six of them are jammed into back-to-backs.
Saturday against the Nets will be Minnesota’s seventh game on short rest. In the previous six, they won four times.
However, Minnesota is 3-3 against the spread in those games, while the over has cashed five times.
The only game the Wolves finished under the total with no rest came against the Nets in a 96-94 victory at Barclays Center in late January.
In that game, Towns led Minnesota with 27 points, while Cam Thomas posted 25 in the loss for Brooklyn.
Saturday’s total sits at 216.5 points.
Considering Minnesota’s ability to put up high-scoring games with no rest and Brooklyn allowing 118 points or more in five of its last six games, let’s look at the over between the Wolves and Nets.
Pick: Over 216.5 points (-110, BetMGM)
