Cleveland Cavaliers vs Minnesota Timberwolves Prediction, Preview and Odds - 01/18/2025

Game Time: 9:00 pm ET, Saturday, January 18, 2025

Venue:  Target Center, Minneapolis, MN

Where to Watch:  FDSOH

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Cavaliers -5, Timberwolves +5; Over/Under:  227 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Cavaliers -5, Timberwolves +5; Over/Under:  227 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Cavaliers -5, Timberwolves +5; Over/Under:  227 points

Cleveland Cavaliers:  34-6 (1st place, Central Division)

Minnesota Timberwolves:  21-19 (3rd place, Northwest Division)

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Cleveland Cavaliers:  8-2 last 10

Minnesota Timberwolves:  5-5 last 10

The Cavaliers are entering this game with a 34-6 record overall this season and they are 14-4 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a loss against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Darius Garland led the team in points in that game with 20 while Jarrett Allen was next on the team with 13 points. Darius Garland led the team in assists in that game with 9 while Jarrett Allen and Tristan Thompson each led the team in rebounds with 7. They were 46.7% from the field, 31% from 3-point range, and 81% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 122.1 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 112 PPG against them. The Cavaliers have an ATS record of 27-13 this season and their O/U record is 27-13.

The Timberwolves are entering this game with a 21-19 record overall this season and they are 10-9 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a loss against the Golden State Warriors, but this is also the 2nd game of a back-to-back for them with their game against the New York Knicks still to be played on Friday night. In their game against the Warriors, Anthony Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo each led the team in points in that game with 28 while Julius Randle was next on the team with 17 points. Donte DiVincenzo led the team in assists in that game with 9 while Rudy Gobert led the team in rebounds with 10. They were 44.2% from the field, 45.9% from 3-point range, and 75.9% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 109.8 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 107.9 PPG against them. The Timberwolves have an ATS record of 15-24-1 this season and their O/U record is 20-20.

The current betting odds have the Cavaliers listed as a 5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Cavaliers have looked great in their games this season with their 34-6 record overall which has them right at the top of the East with the best record in the entire NBA. They have also been a great road team with their 14-4 road record. Meanwhile, the Timberwolves have looked good in their games this season with their 21-19 record overall, but that record has them right in the middle of the West. They haven't looked great on their home court this season either, going 10-9 in home games this year, and they haven't looked great lately with their 5-5 record in their last 10 games. The Cavaliers are coming into this one as the much hotter team, going 8-2 in their last 10 games, but they are also coming off a bad loss to the Thunder in their last one by double digits on the road so they are going to be looking to bounce back here. They are getting the Timberwolves in a bad situation too since the Timberwolves are playing this game on a back-to-back, and the 1st game of this back-to-back is a tough road game in New York against the Knicks who they made a big trade with in the off-season. The Timberwolves already lost to the Knicks at home earlier this season so they are going to bring their best effort for that game, and that means they could be running on empty for this game against the best team in the NBA. They also have to travel back home after their game Friday night which puts them in a bad situation here for a rested Cavaliers team. The best way to place a bet here is on the Cavaliers to cover the spread in this game. 

Cavaliers Timberwolves Prediction:  Our NBA Pick for Saturday, January 18, 2025 (9:00 pm ET start time) is Cavaliers 122 Timberwolves 112.

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Cleveland Cavaliers: 29-17 ATS off a road loss. 56-37 ATS versus good 3 point shooting teams - making 36% of their attempts or more. 12-7 1H ATS versus good defensive teams - allowing 108 points/game or less. 17-8 OVER against Northwest division opponents. 

Minnesota Timberwolves: 48-62 1H ATS in home games. 3-7 1H ATS at home against Central division opponents. 11-20 1H ATS at home when playing only their 2nd game in 5 days. 

Cleveland Cavaliers:  None.

Minnesota Timberwolves:  D. DiVincenzo (SG) Out - Toe. L. Miller (SF) Out - Illness. T. Shannon (SG) Out - Ankle.

“They imposed their will in every sense. They turned us over and then we couldn’t stop them. But it started from the turnovers, 21 turnovers I think, which is uncharacteristic of us. We knew it was coming, we knew their force was coming, we knew that’s their identity and they imposed their identity.” - Kenny Atkinson after his team’s loss against the Thunder in their game on Thursday.

"There's a chain reaction to everything that you do. There are other combinations and things that go on on the floor that are just as important, if not more so important, than the starting lineup." - Chris Finch after his team’s loss against the Warriors in their game on Wednesday.

PG Darius Garland

SG Donovan Mitchell

SF Dean Wade

PF Evan Mobley

C Jarrett Allen

PG Mike Conley

SG Anthony Edwards

SF Jaden McDaniels

PF Julius Randle

C Rudy Gobert

PPG: D. Mitchell (23.1)

APG: D. Garland (6.7)

Reb/G: J. Allen (10.2)

PPG: A. Edwards (25.9)

APG: J. Randle (4.3)

Reb/G: R. Gobert (10.5)

Coaches:

Cleveland Cavaliers: Kenny Atkinson (1st season)

Minnesota Timberwolves: Chris Finch (5th season)