Cleveland Cavaliers vs Minnesota Timberwolves Prediction & Betting Tips - NBA

Prediction published on 08/03/2024, 07:22  by Joseph King | Modified on 08/03/2024 at 11:30 in NBA Prediction

The marquee matchup on Friday’s NBA slate sees a battle between two of the league's best teams as the 40-22  Cleveland Cavaliers host the 44-19 Minnesota Timberwolves. Despite being banged up and missing their two best players in Mitchell and Mobley, as well as the reliable Max Strus, the Cavaliers continue to put up results. This is evidenced by the fact that they edged out the Boston Celtics to claim a 105-104 home victory earlier in the week, handing them just their 14th defeat of the season. The Cavs currently sit third in the Eastern Conference and just a half game behind the Milwaukee Bucks in second-place. They’ll be looking to bounce back from a defeat in their most recent game however, as they fell 112-102 to the Atlanta Hawks away from home. Cleveland sports the league’s second-best defense with only 109.5 points allowed per game. The only team with a current better mark on that side of the ball happens to be the squad they are facing off against tonight.

The Timberwolves roll into Cleveland on a two-game winning streak after earning a tight 113-111 away win over the Indiana Pacers last night. This has them still sitting atop the Western Conference as they are involved in a tight race with the OKC Thunder for the first seed. Minnesota holds a half game advantage at the moment thanks to their 44-19 record and their recent run of seven victories in the last 10 games. The major news around the TWolves camp is the status of star center Karl Anthony-Towns. The 28-year-old went down in the team’s win over the Pacers and is expected to be out for at least a month with a torn meniscus that will require surgery. The injury is a bitter blow to the Wolves title chances in what has been a fantastic year.