New Orleans Pelicans vs Minnesota Timberwolves Prediction, Preview and Odds - 01/03/2024

Game Time: 8:00 pm ET, Wednesday, January 3, 2024

Venue:  Target Center, Minneapolis, MN

Where to Watch:  BSN

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Pelicans +6, Timberwolves -6; Over/Under:  223.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Pelicans +6, Timberwolves -6; Over/Under:  223.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Pelicans +6, Timberwolves -6; Over/Under:  223.5 points

New Orleans Pelicans:  19-14 (1st place, Southwest Division)

Minnesota Timberwolves:  24-8 (1st place, Northwest Division)

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New Orleans Pelicans:  7-3 last 10

Minnesota Timberwolves:  7-3 last 10

The Pelicans are entering this game with a 19-14 record overall and they are 8-7 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game on a 2 game winning streak with wins coming against the Utah Jazz and the Los Angeles Lakers in their last game, but this is also the 2nd game of a back-to-back for them with their game against the Brooklyn Nets still to be played on Tuesday night. In their game against the Lakers, Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson each led the team in points in that game with 26 while CJ McCollum was next on the team with 22 points. CJ McCollum led the team in assists in that game with 9 while Larry Nance Jr. led the team in rebounds with 10. They were 51.7% from the field, 50% from 3-point range, and 81.5% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 116 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 113 PPG against them. The Pelicans have an ATS record of 18-14-1 this season and their O/U record is 16-17.

The Timberwolves are entering this game with a 24-8 record overall and they are 14-1 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a loss against the New York Knicks in their last game. Anthony Edwards led the team in points in that game with 35 while Karl-Anthony Towns was next on the team with 29 points. Mike Conley Jr. led the team in assists in that game with 5 while Rudy Gobert led the team in rebounds with 15. They were 47.4% from the field, 39.3% from 3-point range, and 79.3% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 113 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 107.5 PPG against them. The Timberwolves have an ATS record of 15-15-2 this season and their O/U record is 16-15-1.

The current betting odds have the Timberwolves listed as a 6 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Timberwolves have looked great in their games this season with their 24-8 record overall which has them leading the West right now with the best record. They have looked even better in their home games with their 14-1 home record this season. They did hit a bit of a lull lately with 2 losses in a row now, but they will be looking to bounce back at home from their road loss the other night. Meanwhile, the Pelicans have also looked good in their games this season with their 19-14 record overall which has them leading their division, but they haven't been great in their games lately. They have struggled more over the last few weeks and haven't been as good in their road games either with their 8-7 road record. They have won 2 games in a row coming into this one but they are also in a bad situation since they are on a back-to-back here. They are playing the Nets at home on Tuesday night but then they have to travel to Minnesota for this game and they will be tired with 2 games in a row like that. The Timberwolves are rested and they will be looking to bounce back at home here. The best way to place a bet here is on the Timberwolves to cover the spread in this game. 

Pelicans Timberwolves Prediction:  Our NBA Pick for Wednesday, January 3, 2024 (8:00 pm ET start time) is Timberwolves 122 Pelicans 102.

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New Orleans Pelicans: 10-5 ATS as an underdog. 5-2 ATS when playing 6 or less games in 14 days. 31-13 UNDER as a road underdog of 6 points or less. 28-18 UNDER against Northwest division opponents.

Minnesota Timberwolves: 6-13 ATS when the total is 220 to 229.5. 4-12 ATS after a game being outrebounded by an opponent by 15 or more. 8-4 UNDER in a home game where the total is greater than or equal to 220. 6-1 UNDER revenging a loss where the opponent scored 110 or more points.

New Orleans Pelicans:  T. Murphy III (SF) Ques Tues - Knee. M. Ryan (SF) Mid Feb - Elbow.

Minnesota Timberwolves:  J. Clark (SG) Mid Feb - Achilles.

“The way we lost the game, you want to redeem yourself. We talked about it the last coupe days and watched some film on it — as hard as it was.” - Willie Green after his team’s win against the LA Lakers in their game on Sunday.

“I thought our energy just kind of dipped. I thought our start to the game was good, we made some shots, we got a few stops, but I didn’t think our energy was super high and it kind of maintained that level. They found another gear and we didn’t respond.” - Chris Finch after his team’s loss against the Knicks in their game on Monday.

PG CJ McCollum

SG Brandon Ingram

SF Herbert Jones

PF Zion Williamson

C Jonas Valanciunas

PG Mike Conley

SG Anthony Edwards

SF Jaden McDaniels

PF Karl-Anthony Towns

C Rudy Gobert

PPG: B. Ingram (23.3)

APG: B. Ingram (5.5)

Reb/G: J. Valanciunas (9.7)

PPG: A. Edwards (26.3)

APG: M. Conley (6.2)

Reb/G: R. Gobert (12.1)

Coaches:

New Orleans Pelicans: Willie Green (3rd season)

Minnesota Timberwolves: Chris Finch (4th season)