Minnesota Timberwolves vs LA Clippers Prediction & Betting Tips - NBA

Prediction published on 02/03/2024, 19:37  by Joseph King | Modified on 02/03/2024 at 20:53 in NBA Predictions

Two of the Western Conference’s best teams go at it on Sunday afternoon with the first-place Minnesota Timberwolves hosting the fourth-placed LA Clippers. The Timberwolves continue to rack up the wins although the bookmakers seem unwilling to budge on them as legitimate title contenders, listing them as sixth favorites to lift the Larry O’Brien trophy. Minnesota sits atop the West with their 42-18 record giving them a slim half game lead over the second-place Thunder. The hosts are coming off a 124-120 home overtime loss to the Sacramento Kings on Friday, a result which snapped a three-game winning streak for the team. Only twice this season have the Timberwolves lost back-to-back games and they have never lost three or more in a row. It’s a testament to the massive leap forward the team has taken from the side that finished 42-40 in the 2022/23 campaign. Anthony Edwards is expected to be back on the court after leaving at half time during the defeat to the Kings to be present for the birth of his child.

The Clippers will be looking to build some consistency after an up-and-down run over the last three weeks. LA is 5-5 in their last 10 games, bringing their record to 38-20 on the season. This has them trailing third-place Denver by two games and sitting three games behind their opponents today. The last outing for the Clippers saw them demolish the lowly Washington Wizards in a 140-115 blowout win. The victory snapped a two-game losing streak for Ty Lue’s squad who disappointingly dropped home games against the Sacramento Kings (123-107) and the Lakers (116-112) in the last week. They’ll now head on the road where they have posted a 17-12 record compared to their excellent 22-8 mark at the Crypto.com Arena.