Who’s playing
Boston Celtics @ Minnesota Timberwolves
Current records: Boston 24-9, Minnesota 17-15
How to watch
- When: Thursday January 2, 2025 at 7:30 p.m. ET
- Or: Target Center – Minneapolis, Minnesota
- TV: TNT
- Follow: CBS Sports app
- Ticket cost: $45.00
What you need to know
The Celtics have played four games at home but will soon have to dust off their jerseys on the road. They will venture away from home to take on the Minnesota Timberwolves at 7:30 p.m. ET on Thursday at Target Center. The Celtics are strutting around with some offensive power as they have averaged 119.6 points per game this season.
The Celtics are heading into this one after bettors pegged last week’s low/under at 232.5, but even that proved too high. They took their Tuesday game with ease, earning a 125-71 victory over the Raptors. Boston has made a habit of sweeping opponents off the field, having won ten games by 19 points or more this season.
The Celtics worked as a unit and finished the game with 29 assists. This strong performance was nothing new for the team: they have now recorded at least 26 assists in three consecutive games.
Meanwhile, the Timberwolves unfortunately witnessed the end of their three-game winning streak on Tuesday. They suffered a 113-105 hit in the loss column at the hands of the Thunder. The loss hurt even more as Minnesota led 42-30 with 5:52 left in the second half.
Boston’s victory improved its record to 24-9. As for Minnesota, its defeat dropped its record to 17-15.
Thursday’s game is shaping up to be a scrappy game: The Celtics haven’t given up the ball easily this season, averaging just 11.5 turnovers per game (they’re ranked second in total turnovers per game). It’s a different story for the Timberwolves, as they have an average of 15.1. Given the Celtics’ considerable advantage in this area, the Timberwolves will need to find a way to close that gap.
Looking ahead, the Celtics are the favorites as experts expect them to win by four points. This contest will be their 14th in a row as favorites (so far in that stretch, they are 5-8 ATS).
Odds
Boston is a 4-point favorite against Minnesota, according to the latest NBA Odds.
The punters were perfectly in tune with the betting community on this point, as the game opened with a 4-point gap and stayed there.
The over/under is 219.5 points.
See NBA Pick for every game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get Picks Now.
History of the series
Boston has won 8 of its last 10 games against Minnesota.
- November 24, 2024 – Boston 107 vs. Minnesota 105
- January 10, 2024 – Boston 127 vs. Minnesota 120
- November 6, 2023 – Minnesota 114 against. Boston 109
- March 15, 2023 – Boston 104 vs. Minnesota 102
- December 23, 2022 – Boston 121 vs. Minnesota 109
- March 27, 2022 – Boston 134 vs. Minnesota 112
- December 27, 2021 – Minnesota 108 vs. Boston 103
- May 15, 2021 – Boston 124 vs. Minnesota 108
- April 9, 2021 – Boston 145 vs. Minnesota 136
- February 21, 2020 – Boston 127 vs. Minnesota 117
