The Minnesota Timberwolves (28-26) are just a half-game behind the Los Angeles Clippers for the fifth seed in the Western Conference and could catch up to them with a Friday home win against the Orlando Magic (20-32). The Magic have lost three of their last four, but the lone win in that run came in an impressive performance on Monday against the 76ers. The Timberwolves won the earlier matchup this season against Orlando, but the Magic have won in each of their last three visits to Minnesota.
Tip-off from the Target Center, where the Timberwolves are 19-11 this season, is set for 8 p.m. ET. Minnesota is favored by 4.5 points in the latest Timberwolves vs. Magic odds from Caesars Sportsbook, and the over/under is set at 229.5. Before entering any Magic vs. Timberwolves picks, you'll want to see the NBA predictions from the model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past four-plus seasons. The model enters Week 16 of the 2022-23 NBA season on a stunning 49-23 roll on all top-rated NBA picks this season, returning nearly $2,300. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Timberwolves vs. Magic. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several NBA betting lines for Timberwolves vs. Magic:
- Magic vs. Timberwolves spread: Timberwolves -4.5
- Magic vs. Timberwolves over/under: 229.5 points
- Magic vs. Timberwolves money line: Minnesota -190, Orlando +158
- Magic vs. Timberwolves picks: See picks here
What you need to know about the Magic
After beating the 76ers on Monday, Philadelphia took its revenge on the Magic on Wednesday, in an 105-94 result. Markelle Fultz was the top scorer for Orlando, with 18 points on a 7-for-11 shooting night. Center Wendell Carter Jr. was ice cold from the field (3-for-10; 0-for-5 3PT), but still scored nine points and grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds.
When the Magic last played the Timberwolves, Bol Bol was in the midst of the best run of play in his young career as he scored 26 points to go with 12 rebounds and three blocks. Lately, however, he hasn't been much of a factor for the Magic, and he's averaged just 3.7 points and 4.7 rebounds over his last six games. Orlando's shooting has been cold over the last four games overall, as it has hit just 44.1% of its attempts from the field and only 30.2% of its 3-pointers.
What you need to know about the Timberwolves
Minnesota handed the Golden State Warriors their second loss in as many games on Wednesday, when they picked up a 119-114 win at home. Naz Reid played a complete game and scored 24 points with 13 rebounds and four assists. Anthony Edwards has been Minnesota's top offensive performer this season and delivered once again, with 27 points in the victory.
Point guard D'Angelo Russell has scored at least 25 points in two of his last three starts but will be looking for a better performance than what he finished with in his last game against the Magic. Even though the Timberwolves won convincingly in their last meeting, Russell was responsible for just 11 points. The Magic allow opposing point guards to pick out the fifth-most assists per game this season (9.23), so Russell should find ways to contribute on offense, even if his shooting isn't sharp.
How to make Magic vs. Timberwolves picks
The model has simulated Magic vs. Timberwolves 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is leaning Under, and it's also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in well over 60% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
Who wins Timberwolves vs. Magic? And which side of the spread is a must-back? Visit SportsLine right now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the computer model that has crushed its NBA picks, and find out.
