The Minnesota Timberwolves will battle the New Orleans Pelicans on January 7, 2025, at Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, LA, at 8:00 PM ET. The game showcases the Timberwolves, with their record at 18-17, facing off against the struggling Pelicans, currently at 7-29.
Entering this matchup, the Timberwolves have momentum from their last game, where they squeaked out a narrow 108-106 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers. Anthony Edwards was the highlight of the night, leading the Timberwolves with 37 points, eight assists, and seven rebounds. This performance was particularly inspiring considering Minnesota had been trailing by 19 points earlier in the game.
On the other side, the Pelicans are riding their own wave of success, having secured back-to-back wins, the latest being against the Washington Wizards, with a scoreline of 110-98. C.J. McCollum was key, scoring 25 points, along with three rebounds and three assists.
According to the latest betting odds, the Timberwolves are favored by 4.5 points against the Pelicans. This means they are seen as the stronger team—despite entering the game on the second night of back-to-back competition—a scenario where they have historically struggled, with only one win out of three tries under similar circumstances this season.
The Timberwolves have shown they can secure wins; they've done so 16 out of 29 times when favored this season, leading to a confidence-fueled expectation to cover the spread against New Orleans. At the same time, they need to capitalize on their position as one of the league's leading defenses, currently sitting fifth overall, allowing only 108 points per game.
For the Pelicans, certain injury challenges could sway the outcome. Zion Williamson is currently listed as questionable with a hamstring injury, which could greatly affect New Orleans' offensive output, especially as they also look to play without two more key contributors: Brandon Ingram and Trey Murphy III, both sidelined with ankle injuries. Currently, the Pelicans rank 28th in the league for offensive rating, which only emphasizes their need for offensive reinforcements.
With these conditions, the Timberwolves’ game plan may revolve around exploiting the Pelicans' defensive weaknesses, especially as their opponents have struggled defensively, even giving up 117.5 points per game this season—placing them near the bottom of the league.
Despite the Timberwolves' challenges with consistency, their strong defensive performance leads many analysts to predict they will triumph over the Pelicans, pulling off another win on the road. Predictions for the final score hover around the Timberwolves winning 114 to 107. The betting pick for total points scored also leans toward the under, and the game total is set at 220.5 points, reflecting expectations for both teams' scoring difficulty, particularly for the Pelicans.
Historically, since 2021, the rivalry has been evenly matched at 5-5, indicating every game is likely highly competitive. Last season saw the Pelicans best the Timberwolves with a score of 117-106 on January 3, which has fueled Minnesota's motivation to avenge this earlier defeat.
Catch the action as it will be available to watch on Gulf Coast Sports and FDSN, along with streaming on platforms like FuboTV.
Given these insights, fans and analysts alike eagerly await the 8:00 PM ET tip-off, curious if the Timberwolves can break through and secure their solid position or if the Pelicans can muster the rally needed to fight back against their opponents.