Jan. 16, 2026, 1:04 p.m. ET<\/p>\n
The Minnesota Timberwolves<\/a> (27-14) face the Houston Rockets<\/a> (23-15) Friday. Tip-off from Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, is set for 9:30 p.m. ET (ESPN). Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s<\/a> NBA odds around the Timberwolves vs. Rockets odds and make our expert NBA picks and predictions<\/a> for the best bets.<\/p>\n 2024-25 season series: Tied 2-2<\/p>\n The T-wolves have won 6 of 7 after a 139-106 rout of the Milwaukee Bucks<\/a> Tuesday. They were 1.5-point road dogs as they are without superstar G Anthony Edwards. F Julius Randle led the way with 29 points, 8 boards and 6 assists. He’s averaging 22.2 poits per game (PPG), which is up from 18.7 last season.<\/p>\n The Rockets were misguided in a 111-91 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder<\/a> Thursday. They were 4.5-point home dogs, and their 91 points were a season low. F Kevin Durant led the way with 19 points and 7 boards, but he struggled from the field. In fact, everyone did, shooting just 34% from the floor.<\/p>\n Watch the NBA on Fubo!<\/a>Timberwolves at Rockets odds<\/p>\n Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook<\/a>; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub<\/a> for a full list. Lines last updated at 12:56 p.m. ET.<\/p>\n Moneyline (ML): Timberwolves +150 (bet $100 to win $150) | Rockets -185 (bet $185 to win $100)Against the spread (ATS): Timberwolves +4.5 (-110) | Rockets -4.5 (-110)Over\/Under (O\/U): 222.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)Timberwolves at Rockets key injuries<\/p>\n Timberwolves<\/p>\n G Anthony Edwards (foot) outG Terrance Shannon Jr. (groin) out<\/p>\n Rockets<\/p>\n (Not yet submitted; below was from Thursday)<\/p>\n F Tari Eason (ankle) outF Dorian Finney-Smith (ankle) outG Fred VanVleet (knee) out<\/p>\n For most recent updates: Official NBA injury report<\/a>.<\/p>\n Timberwolves at Rockets picks and predictionsPrediction<\/p>\n Timberwolves 110, Rockets 105<\/p>\n The Rockets are on a back-to-back, and they laid a stinky egg Thursday night. Granted, OKC has an elite defense, but Minnesota is sixth in the league with a 113.8 defensive rating. The Wolves are without Ant Man, but they’re spreading the floor and getting buckets from numerous outlets.<\/p>\n I’ll take a shot on TIMBERWOLVES (+150).<\/p>\n Skip the spread since we’re going big with the ML. Instead, I’ll go JULIUS RANDLE OVER 1.5 THREES (-140). He shot 4-for-6 from deep Tuesday and was 5-for-6 against Houston last time he faced them 13 months ago.<\/p>\n We have some contrasting trends here as Minnesota is 7-3 O\/U in its last 10, and the Rockets are 2-8. I’m more in line with the UNDER 222.5 (-110) here. Houston is averaging 102.7 PPG over its last 7 games, and the Wolves’ 139 without Edwards feels like an abberation.<\/p>\n For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com<\/a> and BetFTW<\/a>.<\/p>\n Follow @rdodsonsports on\u00a0Twitter\/X<\/a>. 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