The last game of the 2023 Play-In Tournament features a bout between Oklahoma City and Minnesota. Both are coming off close contests with the Thunder sending the Pelicans home in a five-point victory.

Meanwhile, the Timberwolves dropped the ball versus the Lakers in a 108-102 overtime defeat. It’s make-or-break time for both teams as they try to clinch the Western Conference eighth seed and the final playoff spot. Get ready for a heart-pounding basketball once the Thunder steps inside the Target Center on Friday night.

Nitrobetting is ready to dish out key assists and lob passes with betting tips and news coverage throughout the 2023 NBA Playoffs. This time, let’s break down the upcoming Play-In showdown between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Thunder vs. Timberwolves 2023 NBA Play-in Tournament Game Information

Friday night. Target Center. win to get in. pic.twitter.com/xIjRI8RPDB

— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) April 13, 2023

• When: Friday, April 14, 2023, 9:30 PM ET
• Where: Target Center, Minneapolis, MN
• TV: ESPN
• Radio: WWLS-The Sports Animal 98.1 FM (Thunder) // 830 WCCO-AM (Timberwolves)
• Live Stream: NBA League Pass
• NBA Betting Odds: Thunder (+156) // Timberwolves (-189)

READ MORE: Bulls vs. Heat 2023 NBA Play-in Tournament Odds and Preview – April 14th

Why Bet on the Oklahoma City Thunder?

Oklahoma City put pressure on the Pelicans throughout the game. Despite hitting 11 of 37 from deep to finish the game with a 29.7 three-point percentage, the Thunder did make up for things in other areas. The squad recorded more stops, including two more steals and a block more than New Orleans. Mark Daigneault’s crew also protected the ball well and limited turnovers to seven versus the Pels’ eleven.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led his team to victory in their bid to secure the final playoff spot. He recorded 32 points and drained all eight free-throw attempts while making 11 of his 22 shots from the field. He lives up to his season-high stats of 31.40 points per game in 35.53 minutes on the floor and proves pivotal to their success this season. As a team, the Thunder are the fifth-best scoring team in the league with 117.5 points per game on 46.5% shooting. Moreover, OKC penned the third-best points in the paint per game record and averaged 55.1 across 82 contests.

Defensively, the Thunder does enough to keep their opponents hard-pressed. Oklahoma City limits opponents to 116.4 per game on 47.4% shooting. They collect a total of 51.5 rebounds per game. The young core team ranks eighth in the league on offensive boards, averaging 11.4 rebounds per game.

Why Bet on the Minnesota Timberwolves?

Minnesota collapsed against the Lakers in the final quarter of their bout. Los Angeles grabbed a lifeline and stretched the game to overtime. However, the Wolves failed to cling onto the hosts after picking up the pace during the final minutes. Despite shooting nearly 40% from deep and hitting more free throws than the Lakers, turnovers and lack of urgency held the Timberwolves back. This eventually led to their demise.

Nevertheless, the Timberwolves are in a more comfortable position against the Thunder. Their offensive stats include a 13th-best 115.6 points per game on a fourth-best 49.0% shooting. Minnesota is deadly from inside the arc and hit 56.7% of their two-point attempts and 36.5% from deep.

As for the Wolves’ defense, they limit competitors to 115.7 points per game on an eleventh-ranked 47.0% opponent shooting. The Northwest Division squad holds its own when defending inside. In 82 games, they managed to contain challengers to 53.1% from the two-point range.

Thunder vs. Timberwolves Betting Trends

• The Thunder won three of its last five road games (2-3 ATS).
• The Thunder dropped three of its last four meetings versus the Timberwolves (2-2 ATS).
• The totals went over in two of the Thunder’s last four road contests.
• The Timberwolves are 2-3 in the last five games at Target Center (2-3 ATS).
• The Timberwolves lost three of its last six home meetings against the Thunder (1-5 ATS).
• The totals went under in three of the Timberwolves’ last five home games.

Thunder vs. Timberwolves Expert Betting Prediction

This Northwest Division battle will now see Rudy Gobert back on the floor. After his altercation with teammate Kyle Anderson, head coach Chris Finch is ready to move on and get back on track. Although the Wolves are still without Jaden McDaniels, they have a formidable lineup going against this young OKC squad.

We could witness a closer game than expected with the Thunder coming off a solid win over the Pelicans. Minnesota gets the upper hand on paper, but we don’t expect their opponents to back down here. Oklahoma City can easily cover the spread and threaten to pull the upset win off if the Timberwolves put their guard down.

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This is just one of the many sports betting guides that you can read here at Nitrobetting news. Stay tuned for more 2022-23 NBA season previews and articles and don’t forget to check out the latest basketball betting odds on our online BTC sportsbook.

*All odds stated are subject to change without prior notice.