The 7 vs. 8 NBA play-in tournament game from the Western Conference features the Minnesota Timberwolves hosting the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday. Which way to lean at BMR’s top-rated sportsbooks?
Los Angeles Clippers vs. Minnesota Timberwolves
Tuesday, April 12, 2022 – 09:30 PM EDT at Target Center
TNT has the telecast of this Western Conference play-in tournament game between the seventh-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves and No. 8 Los Angeles Clippers.
The obvious advantage of being in the 7 vs. 8 games instead of the 9 vs. 10 is that your season isn’t over with a loss.
The winner of this one will face the West No. 2 Memphis Grizzlies in the first round of the playoffs.
The loser will host the winner of Wednesday’s San Antonio at New Orleans matchup for the eighth seed in the West and the right to face Phoenix in Round 1.
I don’t expect either of these teams to win in Round 1 regardless.
The Clippers won the season series 3-1, but they haven’t played since Jan. 3 so I don’t put too much stock in that.
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All-time at home in the series, the Wolves lead 34-29 straight up but the Clippers have covered the spread at BMR’s top-rated books in 15 of the past 22 in the Twin Cities.
Kawhi Won’t Be Coming to Rescue
Go ahead and disregard what the Clippers and Timberwolves did in their regular-season finales Sunday because both rested key players with nothing to play for.
The Clippers reached the Western Conference Finals last year for the first time in franchise history and maybe would have beaten the Suns if Kawhi Leonard didn’t get injured.
He missed this season and will not be back this postseason. Well, maybe if somehow the Clips make the Finals, but I wouldn’t count on that.
I will say this: If Los Angeles falls down by at least 24 points in this game, don’t just turn off the television and assume it’s over.
The Clippers somehow have rallied from at least 24 points down to win four games this year, the most such wins in the last 25 NBA seasons.
On Jan. 25 in Washington, Los Angeles was down 35 at Washington and won. On Nov. 5 at Minnesota, the Clippers became just the fourth team in the last 25 seasons to trail by 20 and then win the game by 20.
Paul George has looked great since his return from missing 43 games with an ulnar collateral ligament tear and is more than capable of winning a game by himself.
Last week, he became one of six active NBA players with at least 15,000 points.
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The team also got back forward Norman Powell from a broken foot recently, and he no longer has a minutes restriction after scoring 20 points on Saturday vs. the Kings.
Los Angeles is one of the better three-point shooting teams in the NBA, having set a franchise record for makes and at one point making 20 threes in consecutive games for the first time.
Los Angeles is 1-4 against the spread on the NBA picks in its past five road games.
Wolves Fire Away From Deep
It’s the first time in the playoffs for the Timberwolves since the 2018 season so obviously, most of their players are newbies when it comes to this.
There was some talk that star Karl-Anthony Towns might force his way out of town if the team didn’t make the postseason, but that has been silenced.
The former No. 1 overall pick and Rookie of the Year is having a fine season, averaging 24.6 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks.
Towns got Sunday off, his first missed a game since Jan. 3. He carries a three-game double-double streak into this one.
Towns weren’t great in three games vs. the Clippers this season, though, averaging 15.3 points and 9.0 rebounds. I expect him to step up big here.
Another former No. 1 overall pick, Anthony Edwards, has three 40-point games this season and already five career in just two seasons.
Those are the fourth-most in team history and Edwards’ five 40+ point games are the second-most in NBA history by a player before turning 21 years old. LeBron James holds the mark with eight.
Minnesota makes more three-pointers than any team in the NBA and is 8-0 this season when making at least 20.
The Wolves lead the league in opponent turnovers per game (16.2). Those turnovers have led to 19.7 points off turnovers per game, also first in the league.
The team’s best perimeter defender and a key to many of those turnovers are former Clippers guard Patrick Beverley, one of the biggest pests in the NBA.
I promise you he will try to goad Los Angeles star Paul George into two technical fouls and an ejection.
The Timberwolves have covered 11 of their past 15 on the NBA odds as home favorites. I’m going to give the points here, but I’d probably recommend playing the moneyline to avoid some sort of backdoor, last-second cover by the Clippers.
Los Angeles is 17-24 SU on the road so I do think Minnesota wins.
Score Prediction: Timberwolves 115, Clippers 111
NBA Pick: Timberwolves -2.5 (-110) with BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.
