NBA Betting Picks: Minnesota Timberwolves vs Boston Celtics Lines and Best Bets on January 2

The Minnesota Timberwolves hope to rebound from their New Year’s Eve loss while the Boston Celtics aim to continue their winning momentum as they clash this Thursday at the Target Center.

“Minnesota enters this game on the back of a heartbreaking 113-105 road loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder while Boston destroyed the Toronto Raptors 125-71 to return to the win column and end 2024 on a high note.”

• The Celtics drew first blood earlier this season, beating the Timberwolves 107-105 thanks to a hot shooting night from Jaylen Brown who shot seven of out 10 from the three-point area on his way for 29 points.
• Early Minnesota Timberwolves vs Boston Celtics betting lines have the Celtics as the slight 3.5-point favorite in their second and final regular season matchup against the Timberwolves.
• It is, however, worth noting that it was the Timberwolves who covered the spread in their first encounter versus the Celtics this season after coming in as a moderate 8.5-point underdog.

Will the Timberwolves cover the spread once again and tie the season series or will the Celtics impose its dominant play on both ends of the floor?

Although the Celtics are the overwhelming favorites, let’s dig deep and find out if there are excellent betting angles for the underdog in this comprehensive Minnesota Timberwolves vs Boston Celtics sports predictions article.

Minnesota Timberwolves vs Boston Celtics DraftKings NBA Odds for January 2

Moneyline

• Minnesota Timberwolves: +142
• Boston Celtics: -170

Spread

• Minnesota Timberwolves: +3.5 (-110)
• Boston Celtics: -3.5 (-110)

Over/Under (Total)

• OVER 220.5 (-110)
• UNDER 220.5 (-110)

Minnesota Timberwolves vs Boston Celtics Injury Report

Minnesota Timberwolves Injury Report

1. Luka Garza – Ankle – Out
2. Rob Dillingham – Ankle – Out

Boston Celtics Injury Report

1. Kristaps Porzingis – Ankle – Out

Best NBA odds for Minnesota Timberwolves vs Boston Celtics

• The Minnesota Timberwolves have covered the spread three out of five times as an underdog this season. The best Minnesota Timberwolves odds for the home team to cover the spread are available on BetMGM at -110.
• The Boston Celtics have beaten teams by an average margin of 9.3 points this season. DraftKings has the best odds for the Celtics to cover the spread at -110.
• The under total hit in four of the previous six encounters between the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Boston Celtics. The best Minnesota Timberwolves vs Boston Celtics odds for the under points market total are available on DraftKings at -110.

Why will the Minnesota Timberwolves cover the spread?

The Minnesota Timberwolves had a chance to extend its winning streak to four on New Year’s Eve but a terrible performance in the third quarter versus the Oklahoma City Thunder doomed their hopes of doing so as they fell to the latter 113-105.

It doesn’t get any easier for the Timberwolves next as they take on the defending champions Boston Celtics – a team that beat them earlier this season.

But if there’s one thing to be optimistic about the Timberwolves is their ability to cover the spread, having done so three out of five times as an underdog.

• Minnesota is once again the underdog against the Celtics but it is worth noting that they covered the spread last time versus the latter despite coming in as an 8.5-point underdog and even more impressive is they did it on the road.

With the Timberwolves playing in front of their adoring fans versus the Celtics here, there could be value towards backing the home team to not only cover the spread but potentially win outright, especially if their shots find the mark.

It can be recalled that the Timberwolves struggled from three-point country in their first meeting against the Celtics, only making 15 of their 41 attempts from downtown.

• However, from the looks of it, Minnesota has seemingly addressed its shooting woes as evident by their performance against the Thunder last game where they converted 40% of their three-point attempts.
• Franchise guard Anthony Edwards has also answered the call for the Timberwolves hitting the 20-point mark in three of the last four games, which included a 26-point explosion on Christmas Day.
• Not to be outdone is sweet shooting guard Donte DiVincenzo who has seemingly settled in the cold weather in Minnesota, averaging 19.3 points in the past three.

Should the Timberwolves get their three-point shots going and continue to play their in-your-face brand of defense, backing them to cover the spread is worth a punt at -110.

Why will the Boston Celtics cover the spread?

Versatile power forward Kristaps Porzingis sat out on Tuesday but it didn’t stop the Boston Celtics from beating the Toronto Raptors in style 125-71.

Boston used a collective effort that saw seven Celtics players hit the twin-digit mark to bounce back after winning just two of their past six games.

• Forward Jayson Tatum finished with 23 points and eight rebounds while Derrick White added 16 points for the Celtics who also got 12 points and nine rebounds from Jaylen Brown.
• One thing that stood out for the Celtics versus the Raptors, however, was their excellent bench play as their reserves combined for a whopping 60 points.

That is something the Celtics can use as they head into another explosive matchup versus the Minnesota Timberwolves next.

Although Boston managed to beat the Timberwolves 107-105 in their first encounter, they were unable to cover the spread no thanks to a lackluster effort from their bench.

It can be recalled that the Celtics bench was only held to 16 points, which simply won’t cut it against a fiery Timberwolves team that has plenty of weapons offensively.

With the Celtics starters and reserves seemingly in congruent as evident by their performance against the Thunder, backing them to cover the spread and win big in hostile territory might be in the cards here.

Final Minnesota Timberwolves vs Boston Celtics NBA Prediction: Under 220.5 (-110)

The Minnesota Timberwolves and the Boston Celtics are two of the most talented teams in the league. Put simply, at any given night, they could go off and leave us in awe.

However, as far as covering the spread is concerned, both teams are simply horrible. For context, the Timberwolves have only covered the spread four times out of 11 home games while the Celtics are 6-8 Against-The-Spread (ATS) in away games.

That said, I am going out of a limb and picking the under in this matchup. With the Timberwolves and Celtics among the best defensive teams in the league, expect both squads to close out on the perimeter and figure out in a low-scoring affair.

It is also worth noting that the under points market total hit in four of the previous six encounters between the Timberwolves and the Celtics.