Dallas Mavericks vs Minnesota Timberwolves Prediction & Betting Tips - NBA

Prediction published on 13/12/2023, 17:58  by Joseph King | Modified on 13/12/2023 at 18:48 in NBA Predictions

A mouthwatering clash in the NBA’s Western Conference on Thursday sees the third-place Dallas Mavericks taking on the conference leading Minnesota Timberwolves. Dallas is 15-8 on the season, putting them 2.5 games behind their opponents today for the top spot in the conference. Led by one of the leading MVP contenders in Luka Doncic, Dallas look dramatically better this time around compared to last season where they finished 38-44. The Mavs will have to get by without Kyrie Irving as the ball-handling maestro misses his third consecutive game with a heel injury. However, Luka Doncic has been able to shoulder the load and is putting up video game numbers. The 24-year-old dropped 33 points and dished out 17 assists in his team’s most recent game, a slim 127-125 win over the LA Lakers. It marked the seventh straight game that Luka has scored over 30 points.

The Timberwolves’ continue to fire on all cylinders and don’t look like slowing down anytime soon. Despite sharing the best record in the NBA with the Celtics at 17-5, Minnesota are the bookmakers eighth favorites to win the title. They clearly expect this team to regress to the mean at some point, but we’re not convinced that they are entirely accurate in their forecast. The Timberwolves are for real, with arguably the league’s best and most adaptable defense along with some really tough guards on the offensive side. Minnesota saw their six game winning streak snapped in a 121-107 away loss to the Pelicans on Monday. The big news around the team is the status of Anthony Edwards who missed three of the last five games (only playing four minutes in one of those appearances). However, Edwards practicing on Wednesday is certainly a good sign in regards to his prospects for this game.