LA Clippers vs. Minnesota Timberwolves Expert Pick – January 14, 2024

LA CLIPPERS VS. MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES EXPERT PICK – JANUARY 14, 2024 — Greetings, basketball fans. Welcome back to our NBA coverage here at Godzilla Wins. One of the games on tap from Sunday night’s slate features the LA Clippers (25-13 SU, 20-18 ATS) taking on the Minnesota Timberwolves (27-11 SU, 19-18-1 ATS).

Here is a look at which team has the edge going into this matchup and why.

Tipoff

When: Friday, January 14, 2024 at 7:00 PM ET

Where: Target Center, Minneapolis, MN

TV: BSN and BSSC

LA Clippers vs. Minnesota Timberwolves Odds

Odds courtesy of DraftKings

LA Clippers vs. Minnesota Timberwolves — Regular Season Stats & Betting Trends

Can The Clippers Continue Their Surge Against The Top Team In The West?

LA Clippers Season Stats:

• Scoring Offense: 117.7 PPG – 8TH
• Offensive Efficiency: 120.1 points per 100 possessions – 5^TH
• Scoring Defense: 111.9 PPG – 11^TH     
• Defensive Efficiency: 114.2 points per 100 possessions – 11^TH

The Clippers enter this match with eight wins across their last 10 outings and they are riding the wave of a three-game winning streak. This includes a 126-119 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night.

Paul George scored a season-high 37 points on 12-for-18 shooting from the floor and he knocked down seven of his 10 attempts beyond the arc as well. It was George’s sixth game in which he has scored at least 30 points this season.

“George is in a great rhythm right now,” Los Angeles coach Tyronn Lue said after the game. “Ten 3s again tonight. I wish he’d take three or four more.”

Kawhi Leonard added 22 points along with seven rebounds, and four assists. LA is averaging 130.7 points per contest during their three-game winning streak. The Clippers’ offense will be tested against a Minnesota team that plays defense at a high level.

Can The Timberwolves Top-Ranked Defense Slow Down The Clippers?

Minnesota Timberwolves Season Stats:

• Scoring Offense: 113.2 PPG – 20^TH
• Offensive Efficiency: 114.5 points per 100 possessions – 20^TH
• Scoring Defense: 107.4 PPG – 1^ST   
• Defensive Efficiency: 108.6 points per 100 possessions – 1^ST

Meanwhile, the Timberwolves are 5-5 in their last 10 decisions. This includes a 116-93 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday night. The home team jumped out to a 36-15 lead after the first 12 minutes of action and cruised the rest of the way.

Rudy Gobert led the way with 24 points on 9-for-11 shooting. Gobert also hauled in 17 rebounds (five on the offensive glass) and blocked two shots.

Karl Anthony-Towns chipped in with 23 points and eight rebounds and converted all three attempts from 3-point range. The duo shot a combined 16-for-19 from the field.

“We did a really good job of finding Rudy early and KAT’s drives (were) quick and clean and he was able to use his size and strength to his advantage,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said, via CBS Sports. “Great recognition by our guys to keep going to it when it was working.”

Minnesota shot an efficient 55 percent from the field while limiting Portland to 39 percent shooting. It will be interesting to see how the league’s top defensive team will hold up against a Clippers squad that is ranked fifth in overall shooting (49.3 percent) and leads the league in three-point shooting at 39.3 percent.

Now, let us look at the all-important betting trends for both sides.

The Spread

The LA Clippers opened as a two-point favorite. At the time of this writing, the line has not moved. Here is a look at why going with the road team to cover is a safe bet.

• The Clippers are 6-2 ATS in their last eight games.
• LA is 10-3 ATS in their last 13 January games.
• The Timberwolves are 1-5 ATS in their last six matchups against Pacific Division opponents.

Prediction: LA Clippers (-2)

Over/Under

The projected over/under total for this matchup opened at 225.5 points. At the time of this writing, the line has moved to 222 points. Here is a look at why going with the “OVER” is the smart choice here.

• The total has gone OVER four times in the Clippers’ last six outings.
• In LA’s last 11 road games against Minnesota, the OVER cashed in nine times.
• The two teams have exceeded the points total for this matchup four times in their last seven head-to-head encounters.

Prediction: OVER 222 points

Player Prop Bet

The key player to watch for the road team is Paul George. He currently has -120 odds of scoring more than 23.5 points and -110 odds of scoring less than 23.5 points.

• In 30 career games against Minnesota, PG is averaging 23.2 PPG.
• On the season, George is averaging 23.8 points per outing.
• In 17 road games, he is averaging 24.6 PPG.
• George has played against Western Conference teams 27 times this season. In those contests, he is averaging 23.9 points per outing.
• During January, he is averaging 27.6 PPG.
• Over his last 10 outings, George is averaging 26.2 points per outing, and he exceeded the projected scoring total for this matchup six times during that stretch.

As the trends seem to indicate, going with the “over” for George looks like the better choice here.

Prediction: Paul George OVER 23.5 points

Anthony Edwards is listed as questionable for this contest due to a left knee contusion. With that in mind, the key player to watch for the home team is Karl Anthony-Towns.

He currently has -120 odds of scoring more than 22.5 points and -110 odds of finishing with less than 22.5 points (via PointsBet). Here is a look at how his season splits stack up against his projected scoring total for this matchup.

• In 22 career games against LA, KAT is averaging 21.6 PPG.
• On the season, Anthony-Towns is averaging 21.8 points per outing.
• In 17 home games, he is averaging 20.1 PPG.
• Anthony-Towns has played against Western Conference teams 24 times this season. In those contests, he is averaging 21.6 PPG.
• During January, he is averaging 24.7 points per outing.
• Over his last 10 outings, Anthony-Towns is averaging 20.8 PPG.

Based on the above trends, going with “under” for Anthony-Towns looks like a safe bet here.

Prediction: Karl Anthony-Towns UNDER 22.5 points