The Minnesota Timberwolves will visit the Sacramento Kings on Thursday night, in what will be the season opener for Sacramento. The TWolves lost their opener on Tuesday to the Los Angeles Lakers but went 56-26 last season, advancing to the Western Conference Finals. Meanwhile, the Kings went 46-36 and made the play-in tournament but not the NBA playoffs. Sacramento won two of three matchups between the squads last year, with the road team winning each game.
Tip-off from the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, Calif., is set for 10 p.m. ET. Minnesota is a 1-point favorite in the latest Kings vs. Timberwolves odds via SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 221.5. Before locking in any Timberwolves vs. Kings picks, make sure to check out the NBA predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in betting profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past six seasons. The model ended the 2023-24 season on a sizzling 94-61 roll on all top-rated NBA picks, returning more than $2,800 in the process. Anyone following at sportsbooks and on betting apps has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has simulated Kings vs. Timberwolves 10,000 times and just revealed its coveted NBA picks and betting predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Here are several NBA odds and NBA betting lines for Wolves vs. Kings:
- Timberwolves vs. Kings spread: Minnesota -1
- Timberwolves vs. Kings over/under: 221.5 points
- Timberwolves vs. Kings money line: Minnesota -115, Sacramento -104
- MIN: The Timberwolves were 6-9-1 against the spread with a rest disadvantage last season
- SAC: The Under was 5-1 when the Kings were a home underdog in 2023-24
- Timberwolves vs. Kings picks: See picks at SportsLine
- Timberwolves vs. Kings streaming: FuboTV (Try for free)
Why the Timberwolves can cover
Minnesota fielded the NBA’s best defense last season, leading in both points allowed and defensive rating. It was active on that side of the ball, ranking fifth in blocks and sixth in steals, while also limiting opponents to the lowest field-goal percentage in the league. On offense, the team was efficient, ranking third in the NBA in three-point percentage and 10th in field-goal percentage. The Wolves also have a go-to player in wing Anthony Edwards.
He’s increased his scoring in every year in the NBA and is coming off a 27-point performance on opening night after averaging 25.9 points last season. He now has a new running mate in Julius Randle, who filled up the box score last season with averages of 24 points, 9.2 rebounds and five assists per night. The Timberwolves also have better depth by landing Donte DiVincenzo, who made the third-most three-pointers last season, as well as rookie Rob Dillingham, who put up over 15 points per game a year ago at Kentucky. See who to back at SportsLine.
Why the Kings can cover
Despite missing the playoffs last year, the Kings secured back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 2005-06. Sacramento has one of the better offensive teams in the league under coach Mike Brown as it ranked in the top 10 in points per game, made three-pointers and two-point percentage. Meanwhile, the Kings’ stars in De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis topped the NBA leaderboards in a couple of statistics as Fox led the league with 2.0 steals per game, while Sabonis led the NBA with 13.7 rebounds per contest.
Sacramento made one of the more notable additions of the offseason by obtaining veteran DeMar DeRozan. He ranks 36th all-time in points in NBA history and is coming off a season with the Chicago Bulls in which he put up 24 points, 5.3 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game. The six-time All-Star has averaged over 20 points in each of the last 11 seasons and gives Sacramento another go-to scorer, alongside Fox. See who to back at SportsLine.
How to make Kings vs. Timberwolves picks
SportsLine’s model is leaning Under the total, projecting 225 combined points. The model also says one side of the spread hits in over 60% of simulations. You can head to SportsLine to see the model’s picks.
So who wins Kings vs. Wolves, and which side of the spread hits over 60% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Timberwolves vs. Kings spread to back, all from the model that has returned well over $10,000 on top-rated NBA picks, and find out.
