Timberwolves vs. Jazz prediction and odds for Wednesday, February 8 (Value on total)

The Minnesota Timberwolves are laboring into the second night of a back-to-back on Wednesday, as they gave up 146 points in a 34-point loss to the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday night.

Minnesota is back on the road on Wednesday to play the Utah Jazz, in what should be an emotional game for former Utah and current Minnesota big man Rudy Gobert.

The Jazz are a game behind the Wolves in a crowded Western Conference, currently holding the No. 10 seed.

Utah is 18-11 at home this season, but the team has struggled against the spread as a favorite on its home floor.

Does that change tonight?

Here are the odds and my best bet for this divisional matchup:

Timberwolves vs. Jazz odds, spread and total

Timberwolves vs. Jazz prediction and pick

This is the fourth time these teams play this season, and I’m actually looking to the total for my best bet.

I don’t love the idea of hanging 5.5 with the Jazz, who have struggled to cover at home when favored, but the Wolves’ performance on Tuesday is hard to overlook.

What seems to be a guarantee in this game is points, since we’re getting a matchup between two of the teams in the top half of the league in pace.

Utah is the No. 3 offense this season, but it ranks 26th in defensive rating, a perfect recipe for an OVER.

In the three previous matchups between these teams, the total number of points scored went over this number twice (251, 226, 258).

The 258 game did go to overtime, but only 18 points were scored in the extra period, meaning it would have cleared this total had it ended in regulation.

Minnesota’s defense may take a step back on the second night of a back-to-back, so I’ll just root for points in this matchup.

Find Peter Dewey’s full betting record here.

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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.