NBA Betting Predictions: Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Utah Jazz

Minnesota Timberwolves at Utah Jazz
Wednesday, 1/2/13, 9:00 PM EST, TV: FSN
Opening Point Spread: Utah -1.5
Current Betting Line: Utah -1.5
Opening Total: 198
Current Total: 198
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker

The Utah Jazz are coming off back-to-back losses to the Los Angeles Clippers

Minnesota snapped a two-game losing streak by picking up a 111-107 victory over the Phoenix Suns as nine-point home favorites Saturday, while going OVER the posted total for the first time in five contests. The Timberwolves shot 53.4 percent from the field, while being led offensively by Nikola Pekovic’s 28 points, while Kevin Love contributed 23. Minnesota is 8-6 ATS on the road this season, with the OVER going 8-6 in that situation.

The Timberwolves have dropped their last five visits to EnergySolutions Arena, while they’ve failed to cover the spread in the last four meetings overall in this series, which is important to consider when looking over the pro basketball odds page. Minnesota needs to reach the 90-point plateau to have success, as it has posted a 14-8 record when doing so, while dropping all five games when scoring 89 or less points. The franchise was 7-5 last month—marking its first winning December since 2004.

Utah has lost three games in a row, including a 107-96 setback to the Los Angeles Clippers as 10.5-point road underdogs, while going OVER the total for the third time in four contests. The Jazz have three players averaging in double figures, with center Al Jefferson leading the way in scoring 17.0 points and grabbing 10.0 rebounds per game. The team is 9-4 at home, but has gone 0-3 ATS versus division opponents this season.

The Jazz are 64-32 all-time against the Timberwolves, including a 37-11 mark when playing in Salt Lake City. Utah has stressed the important of getting to the charity stripe this year, which is paying off in a big way, as it ranks third in the NBA with 616 free-throw makes, while sitting fifth with 802 attempts. Jefferson and Paul Millsap are two of the better inside players in the Western Conference, combining for 16 double-doubles this year. That inside combination has also led to the squad ranking behind only the Denver Nuggets and Cleveland Cavaliers in offensive rebounding.