Spurs host Timberwolves: Preview, betting odds, game predictions

The San Antonio Spurs host a familiar opponent tonight in the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Wolves won the first matchup between the two teams earlier this season in Minneapolis.

Before they can settle into some turkey and stuffing tomorrow afternoon the San Antonio Spurs have to take care of business tonight. The Minnesota Timberwolves are coming to town and are looking to build off of the success they had against the Spurs earlier this year in Minnesota.

Historically, the Spurs have taken care of business whenever the Wolves have come to San Antonio. The last time San Antonio lost to Minnesota at the AT&T Center was all the way back in 2013. However, as anyone who has watched the Spurs this season can tell you, this is not the Spurs team we’ve become accustomed to seeing.

In the first matchup between these teams, Andrew Wiggins was unstoppable. He’s becoming the player that Wolves fans had hoped he could this year. He will try to recreate his 30 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assist performance tonight. If he’s guarded heavily by DeMar DeRozan he might just have a chance.

Even though the Spurs did recently lose to the Los Angeles Lakers, the combination of Jakob Poeltl and LaMarcus Aldridge deserves another try. Those two, along with Trey Lyles, will have their hands full as they try to guard one of the unicorns of the league.

Karl-Anthony Towns has been a man on a mission all season. He’s lighting teams up from behind the arc and punishing them inside. Towns is currently fourth in the league in three-pointers made, ahead of well-known sharpshooters like Damian Lillard and Trae Young. He’s truly unguardable at this point. San Antonio’s forwards will not be able to contain him, you just have to hope they limit his impact as best they can.

Offensively the Spurs should rely heavily on Aldridge, DeRozan, and Patty Mills. The Wolves are weak at the guard positions which could lead to a big night for Mills and Derrick White. Mills is having a career year from behind the arc this season and should not be shy about letting it fly from deep. He’s got the greenest light on the team right now.

This game will be tough but history tells us that the Spurs have a solid chance of taking care of business once again.

Gameday bets

Spread: San Antonio Spurs -2.5

Over/Under: 229

Player Prop Bets:

• DeMar DeRozan: O/U: 5.5 rebounds, 21.5 points
• Robert Covington: O/U: 11 points
• Andrew Wiggins: O/U: 3.5 assists, 5.5 rebounds
• KAT: O/U: 3.5 assists
• LaMarcus Aldridge: O/U: 7.5 rebounds, 20 points
• Patty Mills: O/U: 10.5 points
• Rudy Gay: O/U: 5.5 rebounds

All betting information courtesy of The Action Network.

Prediction

I love that Spurs (-2.5) line. For all of their struggles this year the Spurs did look better than they have in the recent loss to the Lakers. That, combined with their historical record against the Wolves at home, makes that bet pretty appealing. Other bets that I like are the over on both assists and rebounds for Andrew Wiggins, as well las the over on points for Patty Mills.

Wiggins has been scoring more efficiently this year but the most impressive part of his improvement to me has been his improved passing. He’s averaging 3.4 assists per game this year, a career-high. He’s never going to be an advanced playmaker but he’s making the right pass more often than not and putting his teammates in positions to capitalize.

The Spurs could lean on Mills early and often tonight. He’s been one of their most consistent offensive contributors and has held his own on the defensive end. The Wolves are shallow at point guard so he has matchups he can exploit. The over on 10.5 points should be well within his reach.

San Antonio needs to take care of business tonight, then the whole organization can take a step back and enjoy Thanksgiving to the fullest. They don’t have much time off though. The LA Clippers are coming to town on Friday in what is sure to be another tough matchup.