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OKC Thunder vs. Minnesota Timberwolves Cappers Thursday NBA Preview & Free Pick

Thunder vs Timberwolves NBA Handicapping

Timing has always been a problem in Minnesota.

When the Timberwolves had Kevin Garnett in his prime years, the team just couldn’t figure out a way to assemble enough complementary pieces to make a legitimate move to elite status in the Western Conference.

Oklahoma City Thunder (21-4) at Minnesota Timberwolves (12-11)
Thursday, Dec. 20
Target Center, Minneapolis
7 p.m. EST (TNT)
Spread – Thunder -4 at Bovada
O/U – 198.5

Matchup | Preview

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And when they thought they had the backcourt settled, with high-flying Stephon Marbury, Marbury’s ego got in the way and he shot his way out of town, leaving Garnett alone again.

Now, just as things seem to be moving forward, there is talk that star forward and rebounding machine Kevin Love isn’t happy with the way things are going down, and he’s already talking about walking away when his contract is up in two years.

That story must be going down well with long-suffering Timberwolves fans.

Love apparently thinks the team makes too many rash moves:

“You walk into the locker room every year, and it’s completely turned over,” Love told Yahoo!. “There’s new guys everywhere. And then it happens again and again. You start to wonder: Is there really a plan here?

I’m looking at my contract in the eye of two years from now . . . and if I haven’t been to the playoffs — or it’s been one playoff berth — well, it’s going to be tough to say, ‘Oh well, I’m going to stay here and continue to rebuild.’ ” [ad-6571516]

Maybe the return of injured PG Ricky Rubio will help Love feel a little more love for Minnesota. The kid returned from knee surgery and looked good in a loss to the Magic, then – according to plan – sat out the back end of a back-to-back set (in Miami, also a loss). It will be fun to see how Rubio holds up chasing Russell Westbrook tonight.

The schedule-makers didn’t do the Wolves any favors, as Oklahoma City will be flashing its league-best 21-4 record as it travels to the Upper Midwest.

OKC has 12 consecutive victories, and in those dozen wins has been seriously challenged only twice – overtime in Philadelphia and a four-point victory over New Orleans in which the Thunder went crazy in the fourth quarter.

OKC had to play last night in Atlanta – Kevin Durant had a routine 41 points, 18 of them in the final period when the Thunder held off a late Hawks surge. Durant also had 13 rebounds and proved once again that he’s the best player in the Western Conference and on any given night the best player in the league.

THE PICK – It’s hard to lose money when it’s down on the Thunder these days. OKC has been a reliable cover when the line is in single digits.

Add in the fact that the Thunder have beaten the Timberwolves 12 straight times and haven’t lost to Minnesota since 2009, and the 4.5-point line seems a small obstacle to overcome.

By Lawrence Paul

Lawrence Paul is back in the saddle as a regular contributor to the Cappers Picks Blog. He's got an AMAZING knack for predicting when a team will have a letdown! Stick with our resident gambling experts sports betting tips all season long!