Nets vs Timberwolves Picks and Predictions: Strength of the Pack Not Enough for Minnesota

The Brooklyn Nets will continue to navigate their schedule without Kevin Durant on Sunday, as the MVP contender remains out with a knee injury suffered in mid-January. They will, however, be able to look to Kyrie Irving to help matters, as the Nets hit the road Sunday for a date with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Can Kyrie and James Harden do enough to beat the Wolves as NBA betting underdogs? Find out with our Nets vs. Timberwolves NBA picks and predictions, with tip on January 23. 

Nets vs Timberwolves odds

Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.

The Timberwolves opened as favorites between 2.5 and 3.5 points, with mostly -2.5 and -3 out there as of Sunday morning. The total hit the board at 238.5 but has been bet down to between 237 and 236.5.

Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right until tip-off and be sure to check out the full NBA odds before betting to ensure you get the best number.

Nets vs Timberwolves predictions

• Prediction: Nets ML (+120)
• Prediction: Over 238.5 (-110)
• Best bet: Coming soon!

Predictions made on 1/22/2022 at 9:00 p.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.

Nets vs Timberwolves game info

• Location: Target Center, Minneapolis, MN
• Date: Sunday, January 23, 2023
• Tip-off: 8:00 p.m. ET
• TV: BSN, YES

Nets vs Timberwolves betting preview

Injuries

Nets: Nic Claxton C (Questionable), Joe Harris SG (Out), Paul Millsap PF (Out), Kevin Durant SF (Out).
Timberwolves: Patrick Beverley PG (Questionable), Jordan McLaughlin PG (Out).
Find our latest NBA injury reports.

Betting trend to know

The Over is 5-0 in Minnesota's last five games as a favorite. Find more NBA betting trends for Nets vs. Timberwolves.

Nets vs Timberwolves picks and predictions

Our predictions are compiled from the analysis of the spread and total and are indications of where we are leaning for this game.
Our best bet is the play that we like the most for this game, which we would actually put some of our bankroll behind.

Spread analysis

The Wolves return home on Sunday having split a back-to-back during a brief two-game road trip. They continue to hang around .500, currently 22-23, and have enjoyed a tenacious defense all season while their offense slowly improves to where it was expected to be. 

Minnesota's been helped, above all else, by its starting five, which still ranks as the league's best in net rating (minimum 100 minutes) as it has successfully blended defensive intensity (Patrick Beverley and Jarred Vanderbilt) and offensive firepower (Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Edwards, and D'Angelo Russell). 

The trio of stars on offense has, obviously, been a major part of the team's improved scoring as of late. Edwards and Russell are dialed in shooting as of late, while Towns' elite efficiency has never moved but he is operating in the pick-and-roll more often, to Russell's benefit. Yet, it's the defense that moves the needle from mediocre to good, with the team ranked 11th in adjusted efficiency on that end compared to 18th on offense. 

That will remain true Sunday as if Minnesota wants to simply try and outscore James Harden, Kyrie Irving, and Patty Mills, it will be making a mistake. Despite Harden's sluggish play to start the year, Irving's absence, and now Kevin Durant's injury, Brooklyn remains a Top 10 offense in adjusted efficiency. The allure of its big three remains clear even in Durant's absence — not only can the Nets lean on all-time scorers but they don't sacrifice efficiency in doing so, with all three absolutely lights out. 

The Wolves hung around and lost by just five in the first meeting between these two, in December. That game, however, was an outlier for a Minnesota team that's often been rolled over by teams superior to it. With Beverley questionable and dealing with an ankle sprain, Minnesota lacks the ability to match up with Brooklyn without sacrificing scoring altogether. As a result, the Nets will win yet again.

Prediction: Nets ML (+120)

Over/Under analysis

While Minnesota's defense has nearly been unwavering in its intensity and commitment, the results have worsened a bit in recent weeks. The Wolves have only held opponents under 105 points five times in the last month and gave up 134 to the Hawks on Wednesday.

That explosion for Atlanta came through, shocker, Trae Young. The diminutive point guard picked Minnesota apart in the pick-and-roll, and those actions will again wreak havoc with Harden and Irving, both masters of the pick-and-roll, coming to town. Brooklyn should have no problem topping its team total, especially if Mills gets hot as he did in the first meeting. 

Thanks to recent improvements, the Wolves are perfectly capable of filling it up in their own right, too. Minnesota's averaged 118.5 points per game since the calendar turned to 2022, as the shooting it has desperately needed has arrived along with the breakout of Jaylen Nowell, a bench scorer who is helping to solve the Wolves' half-court woes. 

Russell's ditched a cold start to the season as a shooter, hitting 50% from the field — including 42% from 3 on over eight attempts a game — in his last eight games. With Russell knocking down everything and being absolutely dialed in from a playmaking perspective, Towns continuing to operate as an elite three-level scorer, and Edwards the wildcard in all of it, the Wolves' attack is beginning to play as was envisioned when the roster was put together.

While that roster is flawed, it isn't one that should struggle to score. Add the Nets' dynamic duo into the mix and we've got an Over in Minnesota.

Prediction: Over 238.5 (-110)

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