Trail Blazers vs Timberwolves Picks and Predictions: Wolves Feast on Hapless Blazers

The carcass of a roster the Portland Trail Blazers are currently trotting out is being spotted a whopping 14 points tonight when it hits the road to face the Minnesota Timberwolves Saturday night. 

This game clearly doesn't figure to be a close one, so let's at least try and make a buck or two off of it. Here are our NBA picks and predictions for Trail Blazers vs. Timberwolves on March 5. 

Trail Blazers vs Timberwolves odds

This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks.

Minnesota hit the books favored by a range of 12.5 to 14 points, sitting -14 or -14.5 at most outlets as of writing. The total opened at 232.5 and was bet up a bit to 233.5.

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.

Trail Blazers vs Timberwolves predictions

• Prediction: Timberwolves -14 (-110)
• Prediction: Under 233.5 (-110)
• Best bet: Timberwolves -14 (-110)

Predictions made on 3/5/2022 at 2:25 p.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.

Trail Blazers vs Timberwolves game info

• Location: Target Center, Minneapolis, MN
• Date: Saturday, March 5, 2022
• Tip-off: 8:30 p.m. ET
• TV: ROOT Sports, Bally Sports North

Trail Blazers vs Timberwolves betting preview

Key injuries

Trail Blazers: Damian Lillard PG (Out), Jusuf Nurkic C (Out), Joe Ingles SG (Out), Josh Hart SG (Out), Justise Winslow F (Out), Nassir Little F (Out), Eric Bledsoe G (Out), Brandon Williams PG (Probable).
Timberwolves: Anthony Edwards SF (Questionable).

Find our latest NBA injury reports.

Betting trend to know

Timberwolves are 4-1 ATS in their last five games overall. Find more NBA betting trends for Trail Blazers vs. Timberwolves.

Trail Blazers vs Timberwolves picks and predictions

Our side and total predictions are based upon our analysis of the line and total in this game. Our best bet is our favorite pick across all markets.

Spread analysis

Fourteen points is a pretty damn big spread, but it's tough to fathom just how bad this Portland team is right now. 

Having liquidated CJ McCollum and Norman Powell, the Blazers are further saddled by injuries to virtually every competent veteran on their roster including, obviously, noted assassin Damian Lillard. Since center Jusuf Nurkic joined him on the sidelines, the Blazers are 0-3, losing by an average of...*checks notes*...33 points.

Obviously, margins that massive imply serious issues on both sides of the ball, but it's particularly gruesome on offense, where the Blazers have managed a meager 92.3 points per game, To put that into perspective, their current scoring clip is worse than the season-long last-place team (Oklahoma City, 102.1 ppg) by a margin that spans the teams ranked No. 1 through No. 28 in ppg. Yikes. 

Tonight, they get to take on the Wolves, which, given the above paragraph, might be the worst matchup in the league for poor 'ol Portland. The Wolves are the NBA's highest-scoring team over the past 15 games, scoring 122.5 ppg via a league-leading pace and third-ranked offensive rating. The Wolves will blow the doors off this Blazers roster, with or without questionable Anthony Edwards, and play at a pace that will ensure more possessions and a greater chance of realizing their edge in this game.

The Blazers' only credible scoring threat is Anfernee Simons, and while he's been great in Lillard's absence, Patrick Beverley can focus his efforts uniquely while the rest of Portland's fringe-NBAers struggle to find the net. 

Minnesota slaughtered OKC by 37 last night, not only giving us a glimpse of what it's willing to do to an undermanned team, but keeping everyone's legs fresh for tonight. Expect a similar result here.

Prediction: Minnesota -14 (-110)

Over/Under analysis

As dynamite as the Wolves have been on offense of late, it's really tough to back an Over here with Portland on the court. They'll likely improve to the mean a bit, but this Blazers roster is comically bereft of offensive talent outside of Simons. Like, Ben McLemore is legitimately your No. 2 option? Sweet. 

With the Blazers puking up a historically-bad offensive output sans Lillard and Nurkic, there are just too few scenarios where we get above 233.5.

Let's be generous and give the Blazers 100 points tonight, which is something they haven't really even come close to doing in their last three. Minnesota would have to answer back with 134 points, something it's only done twice in the past 11 games. 

While the Wolves aren't as liable to take their feet off the gas as some older (#LoadManagement) and more established teams, they are on a back-to-back and could be without their No. 2 scorer tonight. 

It takes two teams to make an Over, and Portland sure as hell doesn't look like it's doing its part.

Prediction: Under 233.5 (-110)

Best bet

Sometimes it's best not to overthink things. This game has all the makings of a blowout based on the Blazers' current form and how horribly they match up with Minnesota's ethos.

The Wolves are going to run Portland off the court (literally) and can sell out on stopping Simons with little-to-no threat of being burned by the surrounding G-League roster with minimal experience together. 

Even if Minnesota only crushes the Blazers half as hard as Portland's last three opponents, they'll still cover here. Fire away.

Pick: Minnesota -14 (-110)

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