<p>The Oklahoma City Thunder host the Minnesota Timberwolves in a Non-Conference matchup. Tip-off is set for 08:00 PM ET at the Paycom Center.</p>
<h2>Probable Starting Lineups</h2>
<p><b>Minnesota Timberwolves</b> PG Patrick Beverley, SG D'Angelo Russell, SF Jaden McDaniels, PF Jarred Vanderbilt Q, C Karl-Anthony Towns</br><br />
<b>Oklahoma City Thunder</b> PG Tre Mann, SG Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, SF Aleksej Pokusevski, PF Darius Bazley, C Isaiah Roby</p>
<h2>Key Injuries</h2>
<p><b> Timberwolves </b><br />
McKinley Wright IV: elbow (OUT)
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<p>None</p>
<p><b> Thunder </b><br />
No Reported Injuries
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<h2>Recent Form</h2>
<p>The Minnesota Timberwolves come into this game with an overall record of 34-29, placing them 7th in the Western Conference. Throughout the season, Minnesota has struggled in their 32 road contests, sitting at 15-17. Over their last five games, the Timberwolves have played well, picking up 3 wins. In this stretch, Minnesota's offense is scoring right in line with their season average, putting up 114.0 points per game. Combined, the Timberwolves' last five opponents are giving up 106.0 points per contest. Even though Minnesota has been picking up wins, their opponents have had no trouble scoring the ball, averaging 117.0 points per game, up from the Timberwolves' usual rate of 112.3. In the Minnesota Timberwolves' most recent game, Minnesota took down Golden State by a score of 129-114</p>
<p>The Oklahoma City Thunder come into this game with an overall record of 20-42, placing them 14th in the Western Conference. Throughout the season, Oklahoma City has struggled in their 30 home contests, sitting at 9-21. Over the Thunder's last five games, they have picked up just 2 wins. During this stretch, Oklahoma City is averaging 114.0 points per game, 12.0 points more than their season average of 102.1. This uptick in offensive play has come while playing a group of opponents who are collectively giving up 111.0 points per contest. A key reason for the Thunder's recent struggles is a defensive unit giving up 120.0 points over their last five contests. This figure is up from their season average of 108.7. In the Oklahoma City Thunder's most recent game, Oklahoma City took down Denver by a score of 119-107.</p>
<h2>Individual Player Analysis</h2>
<p>As Minnesota travels to take on the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Timberwolves leading scorer is Karl-Anthony Towns. Through 57 games, Towns is averaging 24 points. On the season, he has surpassed his season average in 49.0% of his games. So far, the Thunder are allowing their opponent's top scorer to surpass their season average in 46.81% of their games, placing them 13th among NBA defenses. On the other side, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leads the Thunder in scoring, averaging 23 points across his 46 games. Throughout the season, Gilgeous-Alexander has outscored his season average in 50.0% of his outings. Given that Minnesota's defense has struggled to slow down their opponent's top scorers, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander should be in line for a big performance. So far, the Timberwolves have allowed their opponent's top scorer to surpass their season average in 51.06 of their games, giving them a rank of 21st among NBA defenses.</p>
<h2>Matchup Analysis</h2>
<p> The Timberwolves come into this game as the more efficient offensive team, averaging 108.7 points per 100 possessions. When playing as the superior offensive unit, Minnesota is winning at 63%. These victories are coming by an average margin of 13.0 points. On the other side, the Thunder hold the advantage on the defensive end of the floor. So far, they have played 20 games as the better defensive team, picking up 8 wins (40%).</p>
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<span style="font-size:16px;"><b><span style="color:#008000;">Get more details:</span></b> <a class="advblue" href="https://www.sportsbettingstats.com/nba/matchup/1464066">MIN/OKC 3/4/22 Matchup Stats</a></span>
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<h2>The Historicals</h2>
<p>Heading into today's matchup, the Minnesota Timberwolves and Oklahoma City Thunder have met up for 2 games. In their last meeting, Minnesota picked up a 135-105 win.</p>
<h2>How the Public is Betting the Timberwolves vs Thunder</h2>
<p>67% are betting the Timberwolves against the spread.<br></p>
<p>52% are wagering on the game to go over the posted total of 230.5</p>
<h2>Betting Trends Worth Noting</h2>
<ul>
<li>Timberwolves are 4-0-1 ATS in their last 5 games playing on 2 days rest.</li>
<li>Timberwolves are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games following a straight up win of more than 10 points.</li>
<li>Thunder are 5-0-1 ATS in their last 6 games following a straight up win of more than 10 points.</li>
<li>Thunder are 3-0-1 ATS in their last 4 games playing on 1 days rest.</li>
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