NBA Picks and Betting Tips: Minnesota Timberwolves vs Sacramento Kings Prediction, 16th November

NLB Staff

15.11.2024 12:18

Timberwolves vs Kings Prediction

As the Minnesota Timberwolves have lately been on a bit of a cold streak, they play a Kings squad that has almost found its full footing with offseason moves. With this Timberwolves squad having come off a tough 106-98 loss to Portland, Sacramento got a massive 23-point victory against the Suns. This matchup will occur on November 16th at 8:30 A.M. IST in Golden 1 Center. Below are our key betting tips, player props, head-to-head trends, and important injuries to create an accurate prediction for this matchup.

Timberwolves vs Kings Key Betting Tips & Predictions

1. Minnesota Timberwolves vs Sacramento Kings Moneyline Pick

The money line for the Kings is at -102 and should be taken as they are favorites to win this game. With the Sacramento backcourt featuring De’Aaron Fox and Kevin Huerter as great scorers, they should have an advantage over the Timberwolves Anthony Edwards. Even though Edwards has been an all-around offensive player for the last couple of years, this duo along with Demar Derozan at small forward should continue running great inside chance. With Derozan having a matchup with Jaden McDaniels, the Timberwolves forward should have a few chances to keep Demar quiet, but it won’t be as much as he usually would. Having Sabonis in the middle as a great offensive threat and Keegan Murray too, they should score more combined versus just Julius Randle. Therefore, the -102 money line should be taken for the Kings to start a streak.

2. Minnesota Timberwolves vs Sacramento Kings Point Spread Pick

As the spread for this game is at -1.5 for the Sacramento Kings, they should have the edge in this game due to their recent trends and ability to play great offense compared to Minnesota. With Domantas Sabonis being in the middle, his ability to create over Rudy Gobert and also pass outside will help him dominate this matchup. Meanwhile, Keegan Murray will continue knocking down threes and should have an advantage with size over someone like Julius Rande. He will continue using his tremendous length to create space and help knock Julius Randle out of his comfortable positions. Having someone like Anthony Edwards will help this Timberwolves team keep the game close as he should continue scoring with ease on Kevin Huerter. But, outside of that the King's advantage with De’Aaron Fox and Demar Derozan at their respective positions should score more than Mike Conley plus Jaden McDaniels in addition to Naz Reid. The spread of -1.5 for the Kings is a perfect pick in this game.

3. Minnesota Timberwolves vs Sacramento Kings Over/Under Pick (Total Points)

As the over/under in this game is 228 points, it should be a pretty high-scoring game with both teams having above-average offense. Seeing the Kings squad, they have an elite center who can create offense for many of his other teammates and score from anywhere himself too. With their point guard being one of the best drivers and knockdown three-point shooters in the league, they also have two tremendous wings. One of them is more of a traditional three-point shooter who is developing other pieces, while the other has continued to dominate in an all-around game. Meanwhile, the Timberwolves will be led by a great backcourt that has a very solid scoring point guard and an elite shooting guard. While their center isn’t much of a threat, this team has two great three-point shooting wings and an excellent all-around player who can provide at a high rate. With their last game combining for 232 points, this game should be even higher scoring.

Minnesota Timberwolves vs Sacramento Kings Top Player Props

Anthony Edwards over 26.5 points at 1.95: As the Minnesota Timberwolves shooting guard gets a mismatch against Kevin Huerter in this game, he should use his size to create space. Also as a great dribbler, he will be able to evade Huerter with his speed and attack Domantas Sabonis one-on-one whenever going inside. Knowing this and that Edwards averages 27.8 points a night this season, he should hit the over in the current matchup.

Domantas Sabonis over 18.5 points at 1.83: Seeing that Domantas Sabonis has continued being one of the best scoring centers league-wide, his ability to get underneath the massive Rudy Gobert will play a huge factor. Although Gobert has been a great shot blocker and rebounder, Sabonis can create layup opportunities with his strength plus stretch the floor from perimeter areas that this Timberwolves center has struggled with guarding. As Sabonis has been averaging 19.9 points a night, he should be somewhere around that scoreline in this game.

Timberwolves vs Kings Injury News & Impact

Minnesota Timberwolves Injuries: As there are no current injuries on this Timberwolves roster, they should be able to play their two-way game at a top level once again.

Sacramento Kings Injuries: Although Malik Monk is missing due to a right ankle sprain, his 12.6 points per night won’t be as missed due to the fact this roster mostly relies on Domantas Sabonis, De’Aaron Fox, and Demar Derozan as their main scorers. Heading into this game, the one downgrade is that they will have to expect a weaker defender in Doug McDermmonet to come off the bench for this Kings with no Monk.

Timberwolves vs Kings Head-to-Head Trends

As these two teams play each other very closely, the Kings and Timberwolves are 2-2 against each other in the previous 4 matchups. Seeing that only 2 of their last 8 games head-to-head ended with a scoring difference of over 7 points, it should be very tightly contested again. Although the Timberwolves are 6-4 against the spread vs Sacramento over the past 10 matchups, both teams have scored over 100 points each except for one instance.

Betting Insights & Public Trends

Looking at the current public trends, 52.8% of the bettors chose the Sacramento Kings to knock off Minnesota.

Timberwolves vs Kings Final Prediction

As the Minnesota Timberwolves enter this game, they haven’t seemed to find sustained success so far like Sacramento this season. Seeing the Kings' lineup is mostly healthy except for a key loss in Malik Monk, there shouldn’t be an excuse for this squad to lose to another unit that is trending in the wrong direction. With Sacramento being led by one of the quickest guards in De’Aaron Fox, his ability to dribble and hit the lanes at maximum acceleration gives this Kings roster a player who can find his wings in the corner with ease. Although Mike Conley has been a pretty solid defender this season, his age and energy are something that Fox can easily beat while also having the advantage of shooting threes. Shooting guard is the one position this Timberwolves roster will be in as Anthony Edwards will continue to be a dominant force scoring-wise in this game. Going up against Kevin Huerter, he should continue to dribble by him and create shots in the paint or create spacing from outside to knock down all his jump shots. The one player that will keep this matchup close is Edwards because even the small forward position might be won by Sacramento in this game. Even though Jaden McDaniels has been a tremendous wing defender and three-point shooter, going up against a player like Demar Derozan who has the whole offensive arsenal will be tough. As Derozan should likely play after leaving early with a back problem last game, he should continue to be an all-around shooter who can create a lot of steals on the defense too. Though the Timberwolves have a great mid-range and inside scorer in Julius Randle at power forward, Keegan Murray has shown to be a tremendous defender over the past couple of games and should continue with that. In addition, his ability to play offense from the wings is something Randle will have no chance of handling. With Sabonis being a great passer and scorer in the middle, Gobert’s blocking abilities won’t be enough since the Kings center likes moving outside and knocking down deep shots as well. Although Gobert has great rebounding abilities himself, going up against someone as athletic and strong as Sabonis will be a tough mismatch. Due to this, the only way Minnesota could win this game is if Naz Reid and Nickeil Alexander-Walker provide the same prowess off the bench.

Our prediction: The Sacramento Kings win and cover their -1.5 spread, while the score goes over 228 points.