Phoenix Suns vs Minnesota Timberwolves Prediction NBA Picks 11/17/24

The Phoenix Suns have cooled off from their seven-game win streak as they are now looking to avoid a third straight defeat after getting routed by the Thunder in a 99-83 road defeat on Friday. Josh Okogie led the team in scoring with just 15 points and nine rebounds, Devin Booker added just 12 points while Royce O’Neale chipped in with 11 points off the bench, but no other player finished in double figures in scoring. As a team, the Suns shot a miserable 29 percent from the field and nine of 37 from the 3-point line as they got off to a terrible start and managed just 14 points in the first quarter to fall behind by double digits right away. Things only got worse in the third quarter where the Suns allowed 35 points to fall behind by as many as 25 points. Devin Booker shot just two of 10 from the field with four turnovers while Jusuf Nurkic scored just four points on zero of seven shooting from the field. 

Meanwhile, the Minnesota Timberwolves have been in a bit of a rut lately, but they will be feeling much better after putting a halt to a three-game skid with a 130-126 overtime road win over the Kings on Friday. Anthony Edwards led the team with 36 points on 14 of 27 shooting, Julius Randle added 26 points with five assists, Mike Conley tallied 14 points with seven assists and five steals while Rudy Gobert chipped in with 11 points, 11 rebounds, and three blocks. As a team, the Timberwolves shot 47 percent from the field and 20 of 49 from the 3-point line as they looked to be in trouble when they squandered a 20-point lead in the fourth quarter. However, the Timberwolves got a second chance in overtime where they scored the final four points to escape with the narrow road win. The Wolves will meet the Raptors, Celtics, and Rockets after this game.

Why the Minnesota Timberwolves will win

• The Suns have lost each of their last five games against Northwest Division opponents that held a winning record.
• The Timberwolves have won each of their last four games against the Suns.
• The Suns have failed to cover the spread in eight of their last nine road games on the first leg of a back-to-back.
• The favorites have covered the spread in each of the Suns’ last four games.

The Suns are still missing two key players, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal, while the Timberwolves don’t have a single player listed on their injury report. The Suns enjoyed a great start to the season, but they’re a very top-heavy team who aren’t deep enough to deal with two of their leading scorers sitting out injured. Meanwhile, the Timberwolves were struggling for a three-game stretch before they took down the Kings in a gritty overtime win on Friday. The line is modest for this one, so I am very comfortable going with the Timberwolves to take advantage of this depleted Suns team while they’re down.