Boston Celtics (22-10) vs Minnesota Timberwolves (16-16)
Game Info: Friday, December 23, 2022 at 7:30 pm (TD Garden)
Betting Odds: Boston Celtics -8.5 -- Over/Under: 232 Click Here for the Latest Odds
Where to Watch: NBC Sports Boston, Bally Sports North Stream live sports and exclusive originals on ESPN+. Sign up now! 
The Minnesota Timberwolves pay a visit to the Boston Celtics at the TD Garden on Friday night.
The Minnesota Timberwolves have been in decent shape as they’ve won six of their last 11 games overall, but they will be looking to bounce back in this one after having their three-game win streak snapped by the Mavericks in a 104-99 loss on Wednesday. Anthony Edwards led the way with 23 points and five assists on 11 of 21 shooting, Austin Rivers added 21 points while Rudy Gobert tallied 19 points with 15 rebounds on nine of 11 shooting. As a team, the Timberwolves shot 49 percent from the field and eight of 30 from the 3-point line as they worked hard to take a narrow lead midway through the fourth quarter, but they couldn’t hold off the Mavericks who went on a decisive 15-4 run to pull away and steal the game from them in the end.
Meanwhile, the Boston Celtics have been in a real funk as they’ve lost five of their last six games overall and they will be hoping to put an end to a three-game skid after falling short to the Pacers in a 117-112 loss on Wednesday. Jayson Tatum led the team with 41 points on 13 of 25 shooting, Jaylen Brown added 19 points with 10 rebounds while Malcolm Brogdon chipped in with 18 points and seven assists off the bench. As a team, the Celtics shot just 38 percent from the field and 13 of 41 from the 3-point line as they got off to a nightmare of a start and allowed 42 points in the first quarter to fall behind by as many as 30 points, before they rallied in the second half to get to within five points in the end.
Looking at the betting trends, the Timberwolves are 2-5 ATS in their last seven road games and 4-1 ATS in their last five games against a team with a winning record. The Celtics are 0-4 ATS in their last four home games, 0-3-1 ATS in their last four games following a loss and 0-5-1 ATS in their last six games overall.
Head to head, the over is 6-2 in the last eight meetings overall, the Timberwolves are 1-9-1 ATS in the last 11 meetings in Boston and the Timberwolves are 3-12-1 ATS in the last 16 meetings overall.
The Timberwolves are shorthanded again as Jordan McLaughlin, Taurean Prince and Karl-Anthony Towns are still out, while the Celtics are keeping an eye on Marcus Smart who is listed as questionable for this one. The Timberwolves are only 1-9-1 ATS in the last 11 meetings in Boston, so even though the Celtics are going through a slump, I’m backing them to snap out of it with a much-needed win at home.
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Peter’s Pick Boston -8.5
AUTHOR: Peter Tran
Mitch's Take...
