Minnesota Timberwolves Vs. Los Angeles Clippers Preview and Prediction (12/14/22)
Line: Clippers -6, Timberwolves +6
Total: 223.5
Minnesota Timberwolves Vs. Los Angeles Clippers Betting Odds Breakdown
The Minnesota Timberwolves will be making a trip to Los Angeles to take on the Clippers on Wednesday.
The Clippers are coming into this game as the favorite at -6, and the over/under is sitting at 223.5 points.
Minnesota Timberwolves Preview
Minnesota has started the year off alright, and they will want to try to improve their record against the Clippers.
Obviously for Minnesota, they will still be without Karl Anthony-Towns, who is sidelined for four-to-six weeks with a calf strain. That injury hurts them a lot, with them now losing out on a key offensive player, and they are now down one big man on the inside. That will make it much more difficult to get points on the Clippers, who have a very solid defense. This game isn’t completely out of reach for Minnesota, but it’s going to be difficult for them to get points on the board.
Minnesota’s best chance to get a win here is to play very solid defense. LA’s offense is not all that great, and they are even last in the whole league for points scored per game with 107.7. Meanwhile, Minnesota puts up around 115 points per game. If they can have a good game on defense, they can have a chance to win this game. But with them missing Karl Anthony-Towns, it won’t be as easy to stop LA from getting inside. Even though they don’t have him, they still have Rudy Gobert, who is one of the best defenders in the league who can pick up some defensive slack.
Los Angeles Clippers Preview
For the Clippers, it finally seems like they are getting healthy, but they still have room for improvement.
The biggest flaw the Clippers have is their offense, with them having one of the worst offensive efficiency ratings in the league, and like said before, they are last in the number of points scored per game. Luckily for them, Paul George has been playing at a high level this season, and Kawhi Leonard has made a return. Kawhi hasn’t looked like the greatest player since his return, but we should give him some time to get comfortable after how long he’s been out.
LA’s biggest strength is their defense. It’s ranked as one of the best in the whole league, and they could give Minnesota some problems on the offensive side of the ball. Obviously, the return of Kawhi Leonard is going to give LA’s defense a boost with how good he is defensively, and he could be a key piece in this game if he can keep Minnesota’s stars under control. If they can do that, they can put themselves in a position to win.
Winner Prediction: Los Angeles Clippers -6
If Karl Anthony-Towns wasn’t injured going into this game, the Timberwolves would have a much better chance in this game.
But with how good the Clippers’ defense is and how good Paul George has been, they should be able to get the win. It wouldn’t be surprising if it’s a close game, though.
