Timberwolves vs. Rockets Prediction and Odds for Sunday, January 8 (Keep Fading Houston)

The Minnesota Timberwolves are surging in the Western Conference, winning three straight games to pull into the No. 11 spot in the conference, tied with the same winning percentage as the No. 10 seed Utah Jazz. 

The Wolves are still down star Karl-Anthony Towns (calf strain), but they have a favorable matchup on the road against the Houston Rockets, who have lost six straight. 

If you’re thinking that Houston is starting to get better with this young core, think again. The team is just 1-9 in its last 10 games, and the Rockets aren’t even a good covering team, going 17-20-2 on the season. 

Minnesota may be down Anthony Edwards (questionable) in this game, but if he plays the Wolves are the clear superior team. 

Let’s jump into the odds and a pick for this Western Conference matchup:

Timberwolves vs. Rockets Odds, Spread and Total

Timberwolves vs. Rockets Prediction and Pick

I can’t trust Houston in this spot at home, as the team has now fallen to 6-13 straight up at Toyota Center after a rather fast start. 

Every advanced metric tells us that the Rockets are a terrible team, ranking 29th in net rating, 28th in defensive rating and 29th in offensive rating this season. 

Houston isn’t even pushing the pace as much as last season, ranking 17th in the NBA, yet the offense is still widely ineffective. 

This has been a frustrating season for the Wolves, but they are playing better as of late, moving to 15th in the league in net rating.

Minnesota is also 5-3 straight up and 4-4 against the spread as a road favorite this season.

I'd wait until Edwards' status is officially announced, but the Wolves should win this game.

Find Peter Dewey’s full betting record here.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.