Today's Emirates NBA Cup Picks: Minnesota Timberwolves vs Los Angeles Clippers Spreads and Best Bets on November 29

A blockbuster Western Conference showdown is on tap this Friday when the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Los Angeles Clippers clash in the Emirates NBA Cup at the Target Center.

(Photo by Tim Heitman/Getty Images)

Minnesota heads into this game on the back of a heartbreaking 115-104 loss to the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday while Los Angeles looks to sustain its winning momentum after overpowering the Washington Wizards 121-96.

• Despite coming off a loss, the Timberwolves are the slight five-point favorites as per the latest Minnesota Timberwolves vs Los Angeles Clippers betting lines.
• Minnesota and Los Angeles currently have one victory each in the league’s in-season tournament and coincidentally, it came at the expense of the Kings.
• The Clippers, however, have been slightly better Against-The-Spread (ATS) this season, posting an impressive 13-7 ATS record compared to the Timberwolves 6-12 ATS slate.

Will the Clippers score its second straight win or will the Timberwolves snap its four-game losing streak?

As of press time, here’s how the current Minnesota Timberwolves vs Los Angeles Clippers look like as we head into another exciting matchup between the conference’s top teams.

Minnesota Timberwolves vs Los Angeles Clippers DraftKings Emirates NBA Cup Odds for November 29

Moneyline

• Minnesota Timberwolves: -205
• Los Angeles Clippers: +170

Spread

• Minnesota Timberwolves: -5 (-112)
• Los Angeles Clippers: +5 (-108)

Over/Under (Total)

• OVER 216.5 (-115)
• UNDER 216.5 (-105)

Minnesota Timberwolves vs Los Angeles Clippers Injury Report

Minnesota Timberwolves Injury Report

1. Joe Ingles – Calf – Out

Los Angeles Clippers Injury Report

1.  Kobe Brown – Back – Out
2.  Norman Powell – Hamstring – Game time Decision
3.  Kawhi Leonard – Knee – Out
4. PJ Tucker – Personal – Out

Best NBA odds for Minnesota Timberwolves vs Los Angeles Clippers

• The Minnesota Timberwolves have never lost five games in a row this season. The best Minnesota Timberwolves odds for the home team to cover spread are available on DraftKings for a solid price of -112.
• The Los Angeles Clippers have won six of their past seven games. BetMGM offers the best odds for the Clippers to win outright at +170.
•  The under hit in four of the previous six matchups between the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Los Angeles Clippers. The best Minnesota Timberwolves vs Los Angeles Clippers odds for the under are available on DraftKings at -105.

Why will the Minnesota Timberwolves cover the spread?

Struggles continue to haunt the Minnesota Timberwolves as they dropped its fourth game in a row on Wednesday despite a 29-point effort from franchise superstar Anthony Edwards and a near double-double of 21 points and nine rebounds from Julius Randle.

Minnesota looks to snap its losing run when it takes on the Los Angeles Clippers next and they might be able to do such a thing.

• Although they were bleeding on offense in some stretches against the Sacramento Kings, the Timberwolves showed some resilience on the defensive end of the floor, recording 15 blocks and nine steals.
• Even more impressive is Minnesota did that against a well-oiled Kings team that currently ranks 13th in the league in offense.

With the Clippers among the league’s worst offensive teams, backing the Timberwolves to cover the spread might be worth some c-notes.

It is also worth noting that Los Angeles will likely miss the services of Norman Powell. Even if he does suit up, the 31-year old Powell, who averages 23.3 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.3 assists, might not be a 100%, considering the nature of his injury.

One thing we’d like to see the Timberwolves do here is to impose their presence down low, especially on the rebounding department.

Against the Kings, Minnesota were out-rebounded by the former 47-33 and what’s even worse is they gave up 12 second chance opportunities.

Should the Timberwolves address their rebounding woes and get solid offensive production from Edwards, Randle and the rest of the crew, the odds for them to cover the spread might be too good to pass up.

Why will the Los Angeles Clippers cover the spread?

After a 6-7 (win-loss) start to the season, the Los Angeles Clippers have started to rack up victories, winning six of their past seven games.

• If that’s not good enough, the Clippers won those games by an average margin of 13.1 points.

Los Angeles will look to make it seven wins in their last eight as they take on the struggling Minnesota Timberwolves next.

Team leading scorer Norman Powell remains a game time decision due to an injury but even if he does not suit up, the Clippers still have James Harden to lead the team’s offense

• Since Powell sat out, the 35-year old former league Most Valuable Player has increased his averages from 20.5 points to 26.2 markers per game in addition 7.6 assists, and 5.4 rebounds while converting 43% of his shots from rainbow country.

Another thing of note is they are taking on a Timberwolves team that has only covered the spread twice in nine home games.

• The Clippers, on the other hand, have been decent away from home, covering the spread in six of their nine away games.

For the Clippers to cover and potentially this one outright, they would need not only a big game from Harden but also control the boards.

With the Timberwolves boasting the one-two punch of Rudy Gobert and Julius Randle inside the paint, Los Angeles will have to find a way to be the first to rebounds and loose balls to generate extra possessions.

Considering the ATS records and the Timberwolves’ current struggles, the Clippers might have a better chance of covering the spread than the current odds suggest.

Final Minnesota Timberwolves vs Los Angeles Clippers Emirates NBA Cup Prediction: Under 216.5 (-105)

The Minnesota Timberwolves and the Los Angeles Clippers each have a case of winning this one, especially with the pedigree of their lineups.

That being said, I am going on the under market total in this matchup. With the Timberwolves among the best defensive teams in the league and the Clippers among the worst scoring teams, the -105 odds on the under might be a good play here. It is also worth noting that the under hit in four of their previous six matchups.