Timberwolves vs Pelicans Game Breakdown

Get ready to howl and soar as the NBA playoffs heat up with the Minnesota Timberwolves clashing against the New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center tonight at 9 PM EST. After a series of lopsided games in the first round, we’re all itching for some nail-biting basketball action. The Timberwolves, sitting comfortably above .500, are looking to extend their winning streak, while the underdog Pelicans, fresh off a high-scoring victory, aim to shake up the Western conference standings. With the betting lines drawing a clear favorite and an over/under that promises plenty of bucket-filling excitement, tonight’s matchup is more than just a game—it’s a battle for survival in the playoff jungle. Will the Timberwolves keep prowling forward, or will the Pelicans spread their wings and fly towards an upset? Let’s find out as the Timberwolves try to ‘pack’ a win, while the Pelicans look to ‘flock’ to the next round!

Game Breakdown

Game Time: January 07, 2025 09:00PM EST

Location: Smoothie King Center, New Orleans

Vegas Odds

	MIN ML	NOP ML	Over/Under	Line
Open	-195	+165	220.5	-5.0/5.0
Recent	-220	+180	220.5	-5.5/5.5
Difference	-25	+15	0	–

Team Performance

LAST 10

5W-5L

AWAY

34W-23L

68.8% Win Probability

LAST 10

1W-9L

HOME

25W-29L

31.2% Win Probability

Previous Matchups

Date		Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	Final	O/U
01/03/24	New Orleans Pelicans NOP	27	32	33	25	117	Over
01/03/24	Minnesota Timberwolves MIN	24	22	25	35	106	Over
12/11/23	Minnesota Timberwolves MIN	29	23	34	21	107	Over
12/11/23	New Orleans Pelicans NOP	29	30	31	31	121	Over
11/18/23	Minnesota Timberwolves MIN	27	32	26	36	121	Over
11/18/23	New Orleans Pelicans NOP	35	29	31	25	120	Over
11/08/23	New Orleans Pelicans NOP	24	20	24	33	101	Over
11/08/23	Minnesota Timberwolves MIN	28	44	25	25	122	Over
04/09/23	New Orleans Pelicans NOP	30	25	30	23	108	Over
04/09/23	Minnesota Timberwolves MIN	18	29	36	30	113	Over
01/25/23	Minnesota Timberwolves MIN	26	20	39	26	111	Under
01/25/23	New Orleans Pelicans NOP	34	18	21	29	102	Under
12/28/22	Minnesota Timberwolves MIN	28	27	33	30	118	Over
12/28/22	New Orleans Pelicans NOP	24	25	37	33	119	Over
01/11/22	Minnesota Timberwolves MIN	36	23	30	36	125	Over
01/11/22	New Orleans Pelicans NOP	35	30	32	31	128	Over
11/22/21	Minnesota Timberwolves MIN	28	38	23	21	110	Under
11/22/21	New Orleans Pelicans NOP	29	21	19	27	96	Under
10/25/21	New Orleans Pelicans NOP	25	29	26	27	107	Under
10/25/21	Minnesota Timberwolves MIN	19	24	30	25	98	Under
10/23/21	New Orleans Pelicans NOP	27	14	26	22	89	Under
10/23/21	Minnesota Timberwolves MIN	28	26	15	27	96	Under

Timberwolves Vs Over/Under

Pelicans Vs Over/Under

Timberwolves Recent Games

Date	vsOpp	Result	Reb	Ast	Tov	Shots
01/06	@ LAC	108-106W	55	24	14	92
01/04	vs DET	105-119L	33	20	17	80
01/02	@ BOS	115-118L	41	24	15	74
12/31	vs OKL	105-113L	43	21	23	79
12/29	@ SAS	112-110W	56	23	10	100
12/27	vs HOU	113-112W	39	25	14	83
12/25	vs DAL	105-99W	46	23	10	86
12/21	@ GSW	103-113L	45	27	15	86
12/19	@ NYK	107-133L	37	29	13	89
12/15	vs SAS	106-92W	51	26	12	100

Pelicans Recent Games

Date	vsOpp	Result	Reb	Ast	Tov	Shots
01/03	@ WAS	132-120W	37	36	7	96
01/01	vs MIA	108-119L	31	25	10	80
12/30	@ LAC	113-116L	35	30	16	82
12/27	@ MEM	124-132L	45	30	17	96
12/26	@ HOU	111-128L	44	29	13	99
12/22	@ DEN	129-132L	43	37	13	108
12/21	@ NYK	93-104L	45	23	19	83
12/19	vs HOU	113-133L	37	25	12	92
12/15	vs IND	104-119L	49	18	18	97
12/12	@ SAC	109-111L	43	22	17	83

Starting Lineups

Minnesota Timberwolves	Proj	L5	L15	S%	S/DFS
Mike Conley PG	21.0	17.4	21.7	100%	21.3
Anthony Edwards SG	48.0	44.4	43.3	100%	43.7
Rudy Gobert C	33.0	25.9	29.7	100%	30.0
Jaden McDaniels SF	24.0	23.9	23.6	100%	23.9
Julius Randle PF	40.0	30.4	35.8	100%	36.1

New Orleans Pelicans	Proj	L5	L15	S%	S/DFS
Herbert Jones SF	28.0	26.1	24.7	100%	25.0
CJ McCollum SG	40.0	42.6	38.6	100%	38.9
Yves Missi C	31.0	26.2	25.5	87%	26.5
Dejounte Murray PG	45.0	37.9	43.8	100%	44.2
Zion Williamson PF	40.0	41.6	42.3	100%	42.8

Timberwolves Notable Injuries

Joe Ingles (PF): Avg: 3.6pts, 1.9reb, 2.7ast, 15.2 minutes. Last game: 01/06/25. Impact: 0.5

Pelicans Notable Injuries

Trey Murphy III (SG/SF): Avg: 16.2pts, 4.9reb, 2.4ast, 31.5 minutes. Last game: 01/03/25. Impact: 6.4
Antonio Reeves (SG/SF): Avg: 4.8pts, 1.2reb, 0.7ast, 10.0 minutes. Last game: 12/26/24. Impact: 1.5

Top Player Props

This article, published more than 6 hours prior to game time, focuses exclusively on Over prop bets due to the propensity for NBA teams to make last-minute injury adjustments. For the most current prop bets, including any updates closer to tip-off, please refer to the link provided below the table.

		Stat				Over %				Opposing Defense/Game
Player	Team	Prop	Line	Proj	Diff	L5	L10	L15	L30	Opp	Stat	Rank
Dejounte Murray	NOP	Pts	18.5	21.9	+3.4	0%	20%	20%	20%	MIN	+0.3	#14
Julius Randle	MIN	Pts	18.5	21.1	+2.6	20%	40%	40%	40%	NOP	+2.6	#28
CJ McCollum	NOP	Reb	3.5	4.5	+1.0	40%	50%	53%	53%	MIN	+0.2	#21
Herbert Jones	NOP	Reb	3.5	4.1	+0.6	80%	80%	67%	67%	MIN	+0.7	#26
Anthony Edwards	MIN	Ast	4.5	5.3	+0.8	40%	50%	47%	47%	NOP	+0.3	#21

View All Player Prop Projections

Timberwolves Defense vs

Position	Pts	Reb	Ast	Overall	vs NBA
C	#12	#7	#12	#14	-0.7%
PF	#2	#5	#18	#2	-11.4%
PG	#14	#26	#5	#17	1.2%
SF	#8	#5	#3	#5	-10.0%
SG	#10	#21	#5	#11	-4.1%

Pelicans Defense vs

Position	Pts	Reb	Ast	Overall	vs NBA
C	#22	#30	#24	#27	8.9%
PF	#28	#25	#16	#25	6.9%
PG	#17	#24	#23	#27	7.0%
SF	#22	#9	#5	#15	0.1%
SG	#17	#22	#21	#21	3.7%

Team Comparison

Points per Game

107.9

107.3

Rebounds per Game

44.2

42.6

Assists per Game

24.1

25.0

Steals per Game

8.5

9.9

Blocks per Game

4.6

5.2

Shots per Game

86.5

90.3

3-Pointers Made per Game

14.9

11.4

2-Pt Percentage per Game

51.5

51.4

3-Pt Percentage per Game

37.5

32.8

Turnovers per Game

15.0

14.4

Fouls per Game

18.2

19.6

Recent Trends

Anthony Edwards (SG) is on a notable streak, exceeding 30 points in 2 consecutive games.
Jamal Cain (SF): 3 Game Minutes avg dropped 41.7% to 11.1, 19.1 min average previous 3 games.
Rob Dillingham (PG): 3 Game Minutes avg dropped 32.6% to 11.2, 16.6 min average previous 3 games.