NBA Preview: Timberwolves at Celtics Odds & Betting Tips

The Celtics are within spitting distance of the Pistons for first place in the Eastern Conference and recently got a boost with the return of Jayson Tatum. Boston also saw a bump in their futures odds with their superstar back in the mix and won 4 of the first 5 games Tatum played.

A trip to the Western Conference final last year was supposed to be the springboard that shot the Timberwolves to the upper echelon of the NBA. Instead they’re fighting to stay out of the play-in tournament, but the bar has been raised.

Timberwolves at Celtics Preview

The Minnesota Timberwolves go for the season sweep of the Boston Celtics when the clubs meet on Sunday, March 22, 206 at TD Garden in Boston. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. ET with NBC and Peacock airing the game. The Wolves won the first meeting 119-115 in November.

Public Betting Odds Factors

• The Celtics were good without Tatum going 41-22 before he returned to the lineup. It was a surprising record for a team supposedly in transition and without a perennial MVP candidate. In his first game back from an Achilles injury Tatum had 15 points, 12 rebounds and 7 assists in a 120-100 win over Dallas.
• During the first 60-plus games of the season Jaylen Brown took over as the main player. Playing more than 34 minutes a game, Brown is averaging nearly 29 points, 7.1 rebounds and 5.1 assists. The team has received solid contributions from Nikola Vucevic, Payton Pritchard and Derrick White, who all average more than 15 points per game.
• As has been the case with the Celtics for several years, their defense has propelled them up the standings. They have the best scoring defense in the NBA allowing 107.1 points per game and rank 5th in defensive efficiency. As a result, the UNDER on the NBA spread has cashed in 10 of their last 13 games.
• The Timberwolves will be without Anthony Edwards for a few games as he rests his gimpy knee. Ant missed the win over Phoenix on Tuesday and will be reevaluated in a week, according to the team. In 58 games Edwards averaged 29.5 points while shooting better than 49 percent from the floor.
• The absence of Edwards gives playing time to Ayo Dosunmo and Bones Hyland. Dosunmo started the Suns game scoring 19 points in nearly 34 minutes. Hyland came off the bench with 22 points and 5 assists in 29 minutes. Between them they were 17 of 31 shooting.
• The T-Wolves have scoring options with 6 other players averaging double-figures. However, there could be some regression with the league’s third-leading scorer on the shelf.

Timberwolves at Celtics Predictions

• This game is positioned to be a low-scoring affair. The Celtics boast one of the better defensive units in the league and the Timberwolves are without their leading scorer. The Celtics have played UNDER the total in a NBA high 64.7 percent of their games.
• Now is a good time to cash in on the play of Tatum before the prop markets catch up. He’s been slowly working into the lineup and his numbers have steadily increased. He played the most minutes in any game since his return last time out against Phoenix with 21 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists.

Timberwolves at Celtics Betting Tips

• Boston has been consistently good since mid-January going 21-8 with 18 payouts. They dropped consecutive games to the West’s best OKC and San Antonio, their only losing streak during that span.
• The Celtics have won nearly 70 percent of their home games but have a losing record against the NBA betting line at 16-17.
• Minnesota won 7 of its first 11 games without Edwards in the lineup earning a payout against Phoenix in its most recent contest without their All-Star.

Timberwolves at Celtics Head to Head and Key Stats

• Minnesota stopped a 3-game losing streak in the series with a 119-115 win over the Celtics on Nov. 29. Edwards was a major part of the victory scoring a game-high 39 points.
• It’s been two decades since the Timberwolves last won a game in Boston. The Celtics have won the last 18 games in Beantown going 10-2 ATS in the last 12.
• Minnesota has 4 payouts with a push in the last 6 matchups.