The Minnesota Timberwolves head to Cleveland to face the Cavaliers on Friday night at 7:30 PM ET on ESPN. Can the Cavaliers cover the 1-point spread as home underdogs? Keep reading for our Timberwolves vs. Cavaliers betting prediction.
The Minnesota Timberwolves are 44-19 straight up in the regular season this year. They are 31-30-2 ATS this season.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are 40-22 straight up in the regular season this year. They are 30-30-2 ATS this season.
Timberwolves vs. Cavaliers Matchup & Betting Odds
565 Minnesota Timberwolves (-1) at 566 Cleveland Cavaliers (+1); o/u 208.5
7:30 p.m. ET, Friday, March 8, 2024
Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Cleveland, OH
TV: ESPN
Timberwolves vs. Cavaliers Public Betting Information
Our NBA Public Betting Information page indicates that 67% of public bettors are currently backing the Cavaliers when it comes to the spread. This information is subject to change throughout the day, however, so be sure to check the link so you’re receiving the most up-to-date public betting data.
Minnesota Timberwolves Daily Fantasy Spin
Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns will miss Friday’s game and several contests after that with a torn left meniscus that will require surgery. He’ll be re-evaluated in a month. Towns has been one of Minnesota’s most important players this season as he’d been averaging 22.1 points and 8.4 rebounds per game prior to getting injured. Kyle Anderson and Naz Reid should both receive bumps in minutes with Towns sidelined.
Minnesota reserve point guard Monte Morris left his team’s game Thursday due to left hamstring soreness. The Iowa State alum is officially listed as questionable for Friday’s road tilt with Cleveland. Morris is averaging 5.6 points per contest in 10 games of action for the Timberwolves this season.
Cleveland Cavaliers Daily Fantasy Spin
The Cavaliers will be without shooting guards Donovan Mitchell and Max Strus due to knee injuries on Friday. Mitchell is leading the team in scoring with 28.0 points per game while Strus was chipping in 12.2 points per game in a starting role before getting hurt. Caris LeVert, Isaac Okoro, and Sam Merrill should all see more minutes to fill in for Mitchell and Strus on Friday.
Cleveland center Evan Mobley will also sit out Friday. The former #3 overall pick out of USC is nursing a left ankle sprain. Mobley is averaging 15.6 points and 10.2 rebounds per game across 38 starts this season. Dean Wade and Georges Niang will likely absorb some of Mobley’s minutes against Minnesota.
Timberwolves vs. Cavaliers NBA Betting Trends
Minnesota is 5-7-1 ATS with the rest disadvantage this season.
Minnesota is 4-5 ATS when playing on no rest this season.
Cleveland is 11-8-2 ATS after a loss this season.
Cleveland is an NBA-best 10-2 ATS with the rest advantage this season.
Timberwolves vs. Cavaliers NBA Prediction:
The Timberwolves will be playing on the second night of a road back-to-back in Cleveland on Friday night. They earned a hard-fought road win over the Pacers in Indianapolis on Thursday night by a score of 113-111. Anthony Edwards had 44 points on 35 field goal attempts in that game and made a game-saving block in the final seconds to seal it. Edwards, Rudy Gobert, and Mike Conley all played 30+ minutes in that contest. There might be a slight hangover effect for Minnesota here.
The Cavaliers last played on Wednesday, losing a road clash to the Hawks in Atlanta 112-101. Cleveland has been good on short turnarounds as they are 20-16-1 ATS when playing on 1 day of rest this season. Furthermore, the Cavs are 10-9 ATS in non-conference games and 25-22-1 ATS in non-division games this year. I think Minnesota will be dragging a bit after a tough emotional win on Thursday night, so I’ll back the Cavaliers at home in this one.
