NBA Best Bets for February 24: The Timberwolves and Thunder Run It Back Tonight
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Spread Astaire
- February 24, 2025
NBA Pick: Minnesota Timberwolves +12 (-108) at Bookmaker (visit our Bookmaker Review)
With the NFL season being over, the NBA has center stage in the minds of American sporting fans. The NBA knows this, and they backload many of their potentially best matchups for this time of year when they come in the main focus of the sporting world’s attention.
This is the case tonight when we have an excellent matchup between two of the Western Conference’s top teams. The Oklahoma City Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves are both preparing to have deep playoff runs this season. When these two top teams in the Western Conference take the floor, who should you back to make a winning NBA pick?
Let’s break down the latest NBA betting odds from top sportsbooks before locking in your picks!
Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
Monday, February 24, 2025 – 08:00 PM ET at Paycom Center
Minnesota Timberwolves
The Minnesota Timberwolves made the Western Conference Finals last season and fell short to the Dallas Mavericks. The Timberwolves were expected to be at the top of the conference this year but made a huge move in the offseason trading Karl-Anthony Towns for Julius Randle.
So far the team is not doing as well as it did last year and is currently in seventh place in the Western Conference with a record of 31-27. The Timberwolves need to move up to at least sixth place to avoid a play-in berth this season and be a full playoff team. With so many teams hovering around that position (including the aforementioned Dallas Mavericks) for sixth place, the Timberwolves will be looking to get a win.
Will Minnesota Bounce Back in OKC?
These two teams played last night in Minnesota and the Thunder won 130-123. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 37 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists in the win. Chet Holmgren and 19 points for the Thunder. The Thunder were great behind the arc, shooting 19-35 on 3-point shots, for a 3-point percentage of 54%.
Anthony Edwards led the Timberwolves with 29 points and 10 rebounds. Now they run it back in Oklahoma City.
In spite of last night’s loss, the Timberwolves have found success against Oklahoma City as of late, winning 11 of their last 16 games.
Oklahoma City Thunder
The Thunder have the best record in the league and have won nine of their last 10 games.
The Thunder are led by MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander who leads the team in scoring and assists with 32.2 points per game and 6.1 assists per game. The Thunder are excited to have Chet Holmgren back in the lineup. Holmgren missed 3 months with a fractured hip. Tonight will be his sixth game since coming back. Holmgren is a versatile defender with the size to protect the rim but the agility to defend players on the perimeter on the switch. Holmgren’s versatility is key to Oklahoma City’s defense.
Oklahoma City has one of the best defenses in the league but can struggle sometimes to get quality shots against top defensive teams. Minnesota will have to reaffirm the fact that they are one of the best defensive teams in the league if they’re going to want to keep this game close tonight.
Key Matchup
The Timberwolves will hope to have Rudy Gobert and Julius Randle back in the lineup tonight. They missed last night’s game. These players will be key because one of the Thunders’s biggest weaknesses is rebounding. If Minnesota is going to get the upset in this game, they are going to have to be excellent on the glass.
If Minnesota gets their big men back and is able to control and gain the rebounding advantage, they have a great chance to keep this game close and maybe even win outright. If Minnesota is not able to take advantage of the Thunder’s big weakness, they will become another on the list of Thunders’s victims this season.
The Pick
In games where both teams have equal rest the Thunder have fared much better. With equal rest, Oklahoma City is 23-9-2 ATS while Minnesota is only 10-23-1. Minnesota also struggles as they are 4-6 ATS in the last 10 games.
In spite of all this I do like the “zigzag theory” in this game. The Timberwolves are catching 12 points and we can expect some three-point shooting regression from the Thunder. The Timberwolves will have plenty of mistakes on tape to build upon from their loss last night.
So while all the previous statistics will suggest that you take the Thunder, this is when you need to understand how to read the market and the psychology of these two teams.
The Timberwolves are not going to roll over and go away lightly. Although the Thunder might eventually prevail, the Timberwolves will be live in this game. Take the Minnesota Timberwolves +12.
NBA Pick: Minnesota Timberwolves +12 (-108) at Bookmaker
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.
