The Utah Jazz (1-0) were numbered by the Minnesota Timberwolves (1-0) last season, winning three of the four meetings between the two. The tables could turn in their first matchup of the season on Friday, as longtime Jazz center Rudy Gobert is now running with the T-Wolves. Despite Utah’s franchise revamp at the end of last season, the Jazz have assembled an extensive roster that opened the season with a big upset against Denver on Wednesday, and they will look to defeat another Western Conference powerhouse on Friday.
Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. at the Target Center. Minnesota is favored in the latest Jazz vs. Timberwolves odds by Caesars Sportsbook with 8 points and the over/under is 227.5. Before making a Jazz vs. Timberwolves selection, check out SportsLine’s advanced computer model NBA predictions.
The SportsLine projection model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has generated well over $10,000 in profits for $100 players with its top NBA picks for the past 3+ seasons. The model posted a stunning 88-60 roll on all top NBA picks last season and grossed over $2,100. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
Now the model has set her sights on Jazz vs. Timberwolves. You can go to SportsLine to see the selection. Here are some NBA betting lines for Timberwolves vs. Jazz:
- Spread Jazz vs. Timberwolves: Timberwolves -8
- Jazz vs. Timberwolves over/under: 227.5 points
- Jazz vs. Timberwolves Tips: See tips here
Featured Game | Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Utah Jazz
Why jazz can cover
If the Jazz can beat Denver and two-time reigning league MVP Nikola Jokic by more than 20 points like they did Wednesday, they should be seen as a threat to do the same to Minnesota. The best players for Utah in their season-opening win came off the bench, led by Collin Sexton, who scored 20 points in 21 minutes. As a team, Utah shot 50.6 percent from the field and hit 42.1 percent of their three-point attempts.
The top two starters for the Jazz were Lauri Markkanen (17 points) and former Timberwolves forward Jarred Vanderbilt (12 rebounds). While Utah was hot from beyond the three-point line, it also locked Denver on the edge, and the Nuggets hit just 22.7 percent of their three-pointers. Rookie center Walker Kessler also had a solid debut off the bench with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Why the Timberwolves can cover
Gobert also had a solid debut for the Timberwolves on Wednesday and was a bigger part of the offense than many probably anticipated. Gobert was 10-to-15 off the floor and posted a team-high 23 points with 16 rebounds against the Thunder on Wednesday. The Timberwolves’ top offensive producers from last season, Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns, went off the field in a combined 6-for-27 and the pair are just too talented to expect that kind of performance for two straight games , to start the year.
Minnesota wasn’t a prolific three-point shooting team last season, but the 35.8 percent rate it hit with three balls was a much better mark than the 26.3 percent it lost Wednesday. Edwards and Towns were a big part of that as they were a combined 3v14 beyond the arc. One of the most encouraging things from Wednesday was the game from D’Angelo Russell, who had 20 points in a 7-for-16 shooting night, and forward Jaden McDaniels, who finished with 19 points and six rebounds.
How to do Jazz vs Timberwolves picks
The model has simulated Jazz vs. Timberwolves 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is sloping down and it also generated a point spread pick that hits well over 50% of the simulations. You can only see the selection at SportsLine.
Who will win Timberwolves vs Jazz? And which side of the spread is a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread to jump to, all from the computer model that wrecked his NBA picks, and find out.
