Bryan Armetta shares his preview, prediction and pick for Tuesday’s game between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Milwaukee Bucks.

The Timberwolves (26-14, 4th in West) are on their way to another terrific season. Still, this championship-caliber club needs every win it can get to secure favorable playoff positioning. That means taking care of business on the road tonight vs. the Bucks (17-22, 11th in East). It’s been a miserable campaign for Milwaukee. Still, any team with a healthy Giannis Antetokounmpo remains a threat.

Who has the edge in this East vs. West showdown? Here’s my preview, prediction, and pick for Tuesday’s Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Milwaukee Bucks matchup.

The Bucks are 3.5-point favorites (-102) over the Timberwolves on DraftKings Sportsbook. Milwaukee is favored at -148 on the moneyline. The total for this contest is set at 228.5 points.

Timberwolves vs. Bucks prediction, preview

Anthony Edwards won’t suit up tonight as he undergoes right foot injury maintenance. It’s a largely precautionary move from Minnesota’s coaching staff. Still, that doesn’t rule out a victory for the visitors. Julius Randle is an over-qualified second option for the Timberwolves. Through 40 games, the power forward is averaging 22.0 points, 7.1 rebounds and 5.7 assists. What makes the All-Star such a special player is his willingness to share the ball. As we saw last postseason, Randle is more than capable serving as a lead distributor.

Still, there’s no denying the Wolves are short-handed without Ant-Man. One of Mike Conley or Bones Hyland will likely get a start tonight. An ongoing suspension for Rudy Gobert also means Naz Reid takes over at center. The former Sixth Man of the Year is usually a weapon off the bench for head coach Chris Finch. Now, there isn’t nearly as much depth, especially down low. More minutes than usual for rookie Juan Beringer should be expected on Tuesday.

Milwaukee will need to take advantage of a more vulnerable than usual Minnesota roster. It all starts with Antetokounmpo, still one of the game’s premier players. This season, the Greek Freak has posted 29.2 points, 9.8 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game. On defense, he’s also added 0.9 steals and 0.8 blocks. Still, injuries have limited the two-time MVP to just 25 of a potential 39 outings. When Giannis is healthy, the Bucks have a respectable 14-11 record.

On paper, the Timberwolves own the NBA’s seventh-best defensive rating (113.3). However, that means almost nothing without elite rim protector Rudy Gobert. To be fair, the Bucks could be missing their own shot-blocking big in Myles Turner. The former Pacers center is currently dealing with an illness. Should he miss time, the duo of Bobby Portis and Kyle Kuzma would likely handle more minutes. That bodes well for Reid, who can take advantage of Milwaukee’s weak perimeter defense. The Bucks are allowing 13.8 three-pointers made per game to opponents, tenth-most in basketball.

Timberwolves vs. Bucks pick, best bet

Milwaukee is clearly a much better team when Antetokounmpo is on the floor. Still, it’s difficult to ignore the glaring holes across this roster. The Bucks have specialized on beating bad teams, often failing to compete against elite competition. They’ve put together a lackluster 6-15 record vs. teams over .500. In comparison, the T-Wolves have gone 17-4 against sub-.500 opponents. To boot, they’ve won 11 of 19 games on the road. With Randle leading the charge, Minnesota offers value at plus money tonight.

Best Bet: Timberwolves ML (+124)