New York Knicks vs Minnesota Timberwolves Predictions and Odds Jan 18
New York Knicks vs Minnesota Timberwolves Betting Preview
WagerTalk NBA handicapper Andy Lang offers his New York Knicks vs Minnesota Timberwolves betting preview for Tuesday, January 18. At the time of posting, the Timberwolves have opened as an 3-point road favorite over the Knicks, with the total sitting at 213.5 points.
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| Tuesday, January 18 | NBA Betting Notes |
|---|---|
| Point Spread: | New York Knicks +3 vs Minnesota Timberwolves |
| Total: | 213.5 Points |
| Game Time: | 7:40pm ET / 4:40pm PT |
| Arena: | Madison Square Garden in New York, NY |
| TV: | Bally Sports Sun |
New York Knicks vs Minnesota Timberwolves Analysis
The Minnesota Timberwolves travel to Madison Square Garden for an interconference matchup with the New York Knicks. The Timberwolves improved to 21-22 after managing to outduel the Golden State Warriors 119-99. Meanwhile, the Knicks got upended 97-87 against the Charlotte Hornets on Monday afternoon. This will be the 2nd and final meeting between these two squads, as we will assume they won’t be meeting in the NBA Finals. New York prevailed in first meeting 96-88, but Minnesota was without Karl-Anthony Towns, D’Angelo Russell and Anthony Edwards.
Young Wolves Stay Hungry
The Minnesota Timberwolves took advantage of Steph Curry sitting for the Golden State Warriors with a 119-99 home victory. It’s only fair, as the Twolves have been rated the 4th hardest hit team by Covid-19 so far this season in the league. KAT and Anthony Edwards each missed 6 games, D’Angelo Russell missed five games as well as a plethora of other players. Karl-Anthony Towns led the way with 26 points and 11 boards, his 11th game this season with 25+ points and 10+ rebounds.
Minnesota stretched the NBA’s longest active streak to 39 straight games with 10+ forced turnovers. The Twolves have won five of their last seven games and are playing a fresh brand of basketball since getting the wolfpack back together. Minnesota now sits at 7th place in the Western Conference, 1.5 games behind the Denver Nuggets for the final guaranteed playoff spot. The Timberwolves are 11th in the league in scoring with just over 110 points per game. They rank 9th in defensive rating and 18th in points allowed with 109.1 a game.
Hornets Sting Knicks
The New York Knicks had won five of their prior six games before being buzzed by the Charlotte Hornets 97-87 on Monday afternoon. They will be playing the 2nd game of a back-to-back, which is interesting considering we only have a two game slate today. The Knicks got off to a sluggish start and ended up trailing by 18 points at halftime. New York never managed to get closer than 10 points in the second half and ultimately lost by double digits. The Knicks shot only 40% from the field while clanking 10 of their 21 free throws. RJ Barrett led his team with 18 points in the losing effort.
In typical Knicks fashion they play solid defense while struggling offensively. They score and allow 104.6 points a game, ranking them 6th in scoring defense and 26th in scoring offense. At 22-22 they currently sit a half game out of the play in tournament. Kemba Walker remains out with a knee injury, while Nerlens Noel is day-to-day. The Knicks and their fans still await the arrival of Cam Reddish, who is still without a timetable to join the team after being traded from the Atlanta Hawks.
New York Knicks vs Minnesota Timberwolves Prediction
The Minnesota Timberwolves open as 1.5 point road favorites with a total of 211. Both teams have strong against the spread trends recently. The Timberwolves are 8-3-1 against the spread in their last 12 road games, while the Knicks are 5-0 against the spread in their last five home games. The Timberwolves have the rest advantage and are playing some of their best ball of the season. They should have added motivation playing their only game of the year at MSG. The Knicks are coming off a brutal loss just yesterday. They are 3-2 with a -.2 point per game scoring differential in the second game of back-to-backs. I’ll take my chances with the team that is in better form at a near pick’em.
Official Play: Minnesota Timberwolves -3
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New York Knicks vs Minnesota Timberwolves Preview from GoldSheet
Back on Dec. 28, New York went into Minnesota and came away with a 96-88 victory over the Timberwolves thanks to a healthy 54-45 edge on the boards, the absence of Minny C Karl-Anthony Towns, G D’Angelo Russell and F Anthony Edwards and an icy shooting night by the T-wolves (40% overall, but 7 for 38…18%…from beyond the arc). Now all three of the Timberwolf lead dogs are back in action and have combined for 70 ppg (each more than 20 ppg) and shot a composite 54% over their last five games, while PF Jared Vanderbilt has pulled down 12 rpg in that span.
New York has won and covered five of its last seven games after suffering a home loss against Charlotte yesterday when the Knicks allowed Hornet PF Miles Bridges destroyed NY counterpart Julius Randle by scoring 38 pts. and grabbing a dozen boards (not the type of happy birthday wishes coach Thibs wanted from his guys). Numbers show that since New York PG Kemba Walker joined Derrick Rose (ankle surgery) on the injured list back in December, the Knicks have ranked 29th in assist to basket ratio, so Knicks playing too much one-on-one, make your own shot type of attack (resulting in a 22nd offensive efficiency rating as well). Totals note: This series has gone under in six straight.
NBA Stat Sheet
Each day, WagerTalk handicapper Ralph Michaels puts together his NBA Stat Sheet, which offers a head-to-head comparison for how teams are performing in a number of key areas heading into a game. Check out Tuesday’s sheet, with notes on tonight’s New York Knicks vs Minnesota Timberwolves contest.
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