NBA Odds Today: Oklahoma City Thunder vs Minnesota Timberwolves Lines and Best Bets on December 31

Winning streaks will be at stake when the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Minnesota Timberwolves clash this Tuesday at the Paycom Center.

“Oklahoma City scored its sixth consecutive victory with a 130-106 demolition of the Memphis Grizzlies to begin their five-game home stand on a strong note while Minnesota escaped a gritty San Antonio Spurs team 112-110 to record its third straight win.”

(Photo by Joshua Gateley/Getty Images)

• This will be the first of four meetings between the Thunder and Timberwolves this season with both teams slated to face each other three times in February.
• Early Oklahoma City Thunder vs Minnesota Timberwolves betting lines have talented combo guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder as the moderate 6.5-point favorite versus the Timberwolves.
• Minnesota, however, is no pushover as far as covering the spread, having gone 3-1 Against-The-Spread (ATS) as a dog and 9-8 ATS away from home this season.

Will the Timberwolves pull off a massive upset to end the year or will the Thunder impose its stinging defense and further tighten its hold of the top spot in the West?

As of press time, here’s how the current Oklahoma City Thunder vs Minnesota Timberwolves odds look like as we head into another dramatic Western Conference showdown that could potentially be decided in the final few minutes of the game.

Oklahoma City Thunder vs Minnesota Timberwolves DraftKings NBAOdds for December 31

Moneyline

• Oklahoma City Thunder: -265
• Minnesota Timberwolves: +215

Spread

• Oklahoma City Thunder: -6.5 (-115)
• Minnesota Timberwolves: +6.5 (105)

Over/Under (Total)

• OVER 215 (-110)
• UNDER 215 (-110)

Oklahoma City Thunder vs Minnesota Timberwolves Injury Report

Oklahoma City Thunder Injury Report

1. Alex Caruso – Hip – Out
2. Alex Ducas – Back – Out
3. Adam Flagler – Metacarpal – Out
4. Chet Holmgren – Hip – Out
5. Nikola Topic – Anterior Cruciate Ligament – Out

Minnesota Timberwolves Injury Report

1. Rob Dillingham – Ankle – Out
2. Luka Garza – Ankle – Out
3. Daishen Nix – Ankle – Out

Best NBA odds for Oklahoma City Thunder vs Minnesota Timberwolves

• The Oklahoma City Thunder have beaten teams by an average margin of 16 points this month. The best Oklahoma City Thunder odds for the home team to cover the spread are available on Bet365 at -110.
• The Minnesota Timberwolves are currently riding a three-game winning streak. FanDuel offers the best odds for the Timberwolves to win outright at +245.
• Defense is seemingly the name of the game when the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Minnesota Timberwolves with the under points total hitting five times in their previous six encounters. The best Oklahoma City Thunder vs Minnesota Timberwolves odds for the under are available on DraftKings at -110.

Why will the Oklahoma City Thunder cover the spread?

Dominant doesn’t even begin to describe how the Oklahoma City Thunder have been performing this month.

Albeit a three-point loss to the Houston Rockets and their heartbreaking Emirates NBA Cup loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, the Thunder have been excellent on multiple ends of the floor.

• For context, the Thunder have beaten teams by an average margin of 16 points in their 11 victories in December thanks to versatile combo guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander who has gone absolutely nuts this season.
• The former Kentucky guard has been averaging 30.8 points, 6.1 assists, and 5.6 rebounds on an impressive 51.7% shooting from the field this season.
• Just this Sunday, Gilgeous-Alexander showed what he’s made of, recording 35 points, seven assists, and six rebounds while making 73.7% of his attempts from the field to lead the Thunder to a 130-106 destruction of the Memphis Grizzlies.

Up next for the Thunder is the Minnesota Timberwolves who are coming off a solid win versus the San Antonio Spurs but not after blowing a double-digit lead.

With the Thunder being the paragon of consistency in the league this season, there could be value towards backing them to cover the spread at -110, especially considering their excellent home record.

• Oklahoma City has only lost twice at home this season and have covered the spread nine out of 15 times when playing in front of their cheering fans.

All things considered, backing the Thunder to not only end up victorious but win big might be a good play with how they have been performing this season.

Why will the Minnesota Timberwolves cover the spread?

For all the flak they have been getting this season, the Minnesota Timberwolves have proved one thing in the past few games – they always find a way to win, especially when the going gets tough.

A testament of that was their 112-110 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday where they withstand every run of the latter to secure the victory.

If that’s not good enough, they were also able to squeak by the Dallas Mavericks 105-99 on Christmas Day and a couple days later versus the Houston Rockets 113-112.

Whether by design, fate, or good old-fashioned hard work, the Timberwolves will need their magic to work again as they take on the streaking Oklahoma City Thunder next.

• Minnesota is the slight underdog in this matchup and that could play in their favor as far as covering the spread is concerned, counting that they are 3-1 ATS when the odds are against them.
• Even more encouraging is the fact that sweet shooting guard Donte DiVincenzo has seemingly found his touch, averaging 24.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, and four assists on 55% shooting from downtown.

For the Timberwolves to cover the spread here though, they will need everyone to step up, particularly franchise superstar Anthony Edwards and bruising power forward Julius Randle who struggled versus the Spurs, finishing with just 14 and 16 points respectively.

Should Edwards and Randle deliver their usual numbers and the Timberwolves get big numbers from DiVincenzo and their supporting cast, backing them to cover the spread and potentially win outright is not far-fetched at these current odds.

Final Oklahoma City Thunder vs Minnesota Timberwolves NBA Prediction: Oklahoma City Thunder -6.5 (-110)

The Minnesota Timberwolves are always a live underdog considering how the team is built from top to bottom. With plenty of offensive and defensive weapons, the Timberwolves always have the potential to shock the best teams in the league.

However, I don’t think they can upset the Oklahoma City Thunder right now. With the Thunder playing sound both on offense and defense, they should have enough firepower to turn back the Timberwolves and score another dominant win. Give me the Thunder to cover the spread.