Timberwolves Favored Over Warriors Without Curry

The Golden State Warriors (31-11, 24-16-2 ATS) visit the Minnesota Timberwolves (20-22, 22-20) at Target Center on Sunday in their second meeting of the season. The Warriors are 2-4 in their last six outings while the Timberwolves are 4-2 in their last six.

Sportsbook Odds Analysis

Golden State opened as the slight 3-point favorite on the road despite its far superior record, likely due to the team’s recent skid plus the absence of Steph Curry, who has been ruled out due to a hand injury. The total was set at 225 points with the OVER going 3-0 in the last three meetings. The Warriors are 2-5 ATS in their last seven games while the Timberwolves are 11-5 ATS in their last 16 contests.

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Golden State News & Notes

The Warriors easily defeated the Chicago Bulls on Friday, winning 138-96 on the road. Jonathan Kuminga led all scorers with 25 points for Golden State while Curry had just 19 points in 28 minutes after sustaining a hand injury in the first half. The Warriors’ leading scorer finished the game but took on lighter minutes in the second half.

While Golden State will lose Curry for Sunday’s game, they will get Klay Thompson back into the lineup after he sat out Friday’s contest due to planned rest. The five-time All-Star is averaging 14 points in 20 minutes over three games this season.
Draymond Green (calf) remains out while Gary Payton II (back) is questionable for Sunday’s matchup.

Minnesota News & Notes

The Timberwolves dropped their second straight game on Thursday in a 116-108 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. Minnesota had the top three scorers in the game with Anthony Edwards, D’Angelo Russell, and Karl-Anthony Towns scoring 30, 29, and 25 points, respectively, but no other player added more than eight points in the loss.
Minnesota was surging through early January, posting a four-game win streak prior to its current two-game skid. The offense has been consistent over this six-game stretch, scoring 121.5 points per contest – up from the team’s season average of 109.9 (12th). 

Jaylen Nowell (ankle) and Leandro Bolmaro (health and safety protocols) are questionable while Jordan McLaughlin (health and safety protocols) is out.

How Golden State Will Cover

With Curry out of the lineup and Thompson still easing his way back, the bulk of the work will fall on the shoulders of Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole. Wiggins and Poole have been Golden State’s top scorers outside of Curry, averaging 18.6 and 17.1 points per game, respectively. They’ll likely need to be even better on Sunday to pull out the win.

How Minnesota Will Cover

The Timberwolves shouldn’t be too worried about having to shut down the Warriors’ attack given the absence of Curry, so their focus should be on keeping their own offense hot. Towns, Edwards, and Russell have been consistent all season long but they need more from starters Patrick Beverley and Jarred Vanderbilt, who are averaging just nine and 6.6 points per game, respectively. If the Timbs can get some depth scoring, they could pull off the upset.

Computer Pick: Timberwolves -4.5

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