Hornets vs Timberwolves Odds, Picks, and Predictions Tonight: Ant is the Man Against Charlotte

The Minnesota Timberwolves remain atop the Western Conference even after Saturday’s deflating home loss to the Thunder. Fortunately for the Timberwolves, few opponents set up a more comfortable rebound than tonight’s visit from the Charlotte Hornets.

LaMelo Ball is likely back in the Hornets’ lineup, but they are still scuffling enough this season to justify being 13.5-point underdogs in tonight's NBA odds. With Ball playing in the last two weeks since his return from an ankle injury — before sitting out on Saturday — Charlotte has gone just 1-3 outright and 0-4 against the spread, hardly a promising trend amid a lost season.

Tonight’s victor may seem clear, but there is value elsewhere in our free NBA picks and predictions as we preview the Hornets vs. the Timberwolves on Monday, January 22, with tip set for 8:00 ET.

Hornets vs Timberwolves odds

Hornets vs Timberwolves predictions

The Minnesota Timberwolves have greater concerns than Anthony Edwards' feelings. The star fourth-year shooting guard may be critical to the Timberwolves’ success, but the thought of entering the playoffs as the No. 1 seed in the West needs to be Minnesota’s driving charge.

Yet, Edwards’s psyche may determine that track. The Timberwolves’ ceiling this year hinges largely on his consistency. Reestablishing that rhythm before a four-game road trip — concluding with another game against the Thunder with a chance to tie the season series — would make sense. Not that Minnesota is going to overlook the Charlotte Hornets. On the other hand, it might.

Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch has long used a game’s first play to reassert confidence in someone who struggled in the most recent game. If Jaden McDaniels has a bad shooting night, a corner three will be an option on Minnesota’s first time down the court. If Rudy Gobert did not get enough offensive touches one night, then the next may feature a pick-and-roll for a Gobert lob out of the gates. This sounds anecdotal, but Finch is consistent enough with this habit that it is clearly intentional.

Rarely does that apply to Edwards. He is too confident to need the boost, and that outwardly remained the case on Saturday. He was fouled on a 3-pointer with only seconds remaining while trailing by three, and he proceeded to miss all three free throws. Sure, he missed the last one intentionally, but even that went awry, failing to hit the rim to make an offensive rebound viable.

“Make them, miss them, I wasn’t really disappointed in that,” Edwards said afterward. “Either I was going to make them or miss them, it don’t really matter. I missed them tonight, but I’ll make them next time.”

Edwards should not have missed those free throws, but his overall point there is the right approach. Shooters shoot, and he needs to have that kind of unshakeable confidence to best play his role in the Timberwolves’ skyrocketing season.

If there is a moment for Finch to publicly go straight back to Edwards, it's after missing those three free throws. And that thought gains further traction with Wolves point guard Mike Conley taking tonight off. Edwards may not bring the ball up the court after the opening tip, but he should get the ball to initiate the offense.

At which point, Finch will have dialed something up for the possible All-Star.

Given Gobert may have a six-inch advantage at the opening tip, there is no need to play a less aggressive thought of Edwards simply scoring the Timberwolves’ first bucket. The very first possession of this game should end in an Edwards attempt, making this value simply too rich to ignore.

My best bet: Anthony Edwards to score first field goal (+550 at FanDuel)

Hornets vs Timberwolves same-game parlay

Anthony Edwards to score first field goal

Karl-Anthony Towns 3+ made threes

Rudy Gobert Under 15.5 points

+2,451 at FanDuel

If there is enough value in Edwards scoring the first bucket to make it the best bet, then there is enough value to include it in this same-game parlay. Naturally, the +550 odds escalate the parlay’s payout, as well.

Painfully, if Towns had been fouled to close Saturday night, he likely would have made his free throws after going 10-of-10 from the line against the Thunder. If he makes his next seven free throws, he will be in the 50-40-90 club this season. (If he had made one of his 20 misses this year, he already would be.)

The underappreciated aspet of this is how well Towns is shooting from deep this season. Since Nov. 1, Towns ranks No. 6 in 3-point percentage with a minimum of 150 attempts. Of those ahead of him, only Kevin Durant stands taller than 6-foot-5.

Towns averages two made threes per game on 4.7 attempts, numbers that may worry this same-game parlay until realizing no one gives up a higher rate of attempted threes than the Hornets.

And remember Gobert’s height advantage at the opening tip? That same thought should set Towns up with plenty of clear looks from distance.

Then why fade Gobert’s points prop? Conley’s resting should hurt the Stifle Tower’s offensive efficiency that much. Since the veteran point guard arrived in Minnesota last February, he has missed only one game, two weeks ago at Boston with Gobert also sidelined.

But think back to before the Jazz traded Conley to the Wolves. Gobert was not as involved in Minnesota’s offense, averaging only 7.4 shot attempts per game. It may not seem like much on paper, but averaging 8.1 shot attempts with Conley in the Timberwolves lineup is a 10% bump for Gobert.

Losing that influx will cost Gobert’s points prop tonight, not to mention the prevalence of Minnesota 3-point attempts should lead to longer rebounds, limiting his put-back opportunities, as well.

Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.

Hornets vs Timberwolves spread and Over/Under analysis

Conley’s rest, announced midday Monday, knocked this spread down to -13.5 from -14.5. If anything, the Minnesota floor general's absence could lead to a more haphazard Timberwolves offensive performance. Anytime a game feels unsteady, Conley seems to be the one to revert the offense to something that works

Without that, a scoreless stretch may befall Minnesota tonight, and that should be enough to encourage some Under 220.5 thoughts.

Logic would suggest that also encourages a thought of betting the Hornets to cover this spread, but they have been so dreadful ATS of late, that feels like attempting to catch a falling knife covered in butter.

In the four games with Ball in the lineup in the last two weeks, Charlotte fell short of Vegas expectations by an average of 12.6 points.

Hornets vs Timberwolves betting trend to know

Since Christmas, Minnesota has held five of seven opponents Under their team totals in home games, with the two exceptions each coming by one bucket. Those seven opponents averaged 103.6 points at Target Center. Tonight’s Charlotte team total is indeed set at 103.5 points. Find more NBA betting trends for Hornets vs. Timberwolves.

Hornets vs Timberwolves game info

Hornets vs Timberwolves latest injuries

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