Who is playing
New York Knicks @ Minnesota Timberwolves
Current records: New York 16-10, Minnesota 14-11
How to watch
- When: Thursday, December 19, 2024 at 9:30 pm ET
- Where: Target Center – Minneapolis, Minnesota
- TV: TNT
- Continue: CBS Sports App
- Ticket cost: $23.76
What to know
The New York Knicks will take on the Minnesota Timberwolves at 9:30 pm ET on Thursday at the Target Center after having a few days off. The Knicks look to add another win to their three-game road streak.
The Knicks head into this one after oddsmakers set last week’s minimum over/under at 214, but even that ended up being too high. They walked away with a 100-91 victory over the Magic on Sunday.
The Knicks’ victory was a true team effort, with many players putting in solid performances. Perhaps the best of them was Jalen Brunson, who scored 31 points to go along with five assists. Brunson’s performance made up for a slower contest against the Hawks last Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the stars were shining brightly for the Timberwolves in a 106-92 win over the Spurs on Sunday. The victory marked back-to-back victories for Minnesota.
New York has been doing well recently, winning six of its last eight games, giving a nice boost to its 16-10 record this season. As for Minnesota, their victory raised their record to 14-11.
Thursday’s game is shaping up to be a tough matchup: the Knicks haven’t turned the ball over easily this season, having averaged just 12 turnovers per game (they rank fourth in turnovers per game overall). It’s a different story for the Timberwolves, however, as they have averaged 15.1. Given the Knicks’ considerable advantage in that area, the Timberwolves will need to find a way to close that gap.
Both teams in this Thursday’s contest not only won their last games, but also took care of their bettors and covered the spread. Looking ahead, the Timberwolves are expected to win a close contest, barring someone ringing the bell. It might be worth making a quick bet as they have a five-game streak covering the spread when they are expected to win.
Odd
Minnesota is a slight 2.5-point favorite against New York, at last report. NBA Odds.
Bettors had a good idea of the line for this one, as the game began with the Timberwolves as 1.5-point favorites.
The over/under is 214.5 points.
See NBA selections for every game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get Picks Now.
History of the series
Minnesota has won 6 of its last 10 games against New York.
- January 1, 2024 – New York 112 vs. Minnesota 106
- November 20, 2023: Minnesota 117 vs. New York 100
- March 20, 2023: Minnesota 140 vs. New York 134
- November 7, 2022 – New York 120 vs. Minnesota 107
- January 18, 2022: Minnesota 112 vs. New York 110
- December 28, 2021 – New York 96 vs. Minnesota 88
- March 31, 2021: Minnesota 102 vs. New York 101
- February 21, 2021 – New York 103 vs. Minnesota 99
- March 10, 2019 – Minnesota 103 vs. New York 92
- February 22, 2019 – Minnesota 115 vs. New York 104
