The desperate Boston Celtics will look to handle the lowly Minnesota Timberwolves in order to boost their playoff hopes. The C’s are in seventh place in the Eastern Conference standings, but have split their last 10 games evenly. Minnesota has nothing left to play for except pride as they sit in last place in the Western Conference.

With Boston looking to avoid another head-scratching loss, let’s find out if the C’s will get it done to kick off the weekend so you can make your bets against their NBA odds.

NBA Betting Preview – Desperate Celtics Look to Handle Lowly T-Wolves

Minnesota Timberwolves (13-39) Vs Boston Celtics (26-26)

• When: Friday, April 9, 2021, at 7:30 p.m. ET
• Where: TD Garden, Boston, MA
• TV: NBALP, NBC Sports Boston, Bally Sports North+
• Radio: 98.5 The Sports Hub830 WCCO

Minnesota Still Reeling Despite Coaching Change

Minnesota fired former head coach Ryan Saunders in February in favor of former Toronto Raptors assistant Chris Finch, but the move hasn’t helped the team improve one iota. The Timberwolves have lost three of four and come into this matchup fresh off a high-scoring 141-137 road loss against Indiana on Wednesday night.

Karl-Anthony Towns led NBA-worst Minnesota with 32 points, 12 rebounds and six assists. Anthony Edwards had 27 points, but it wasn’t enough to get the win.

“We just didn’t play hard enough in the beginning,” Towns said. “They played with urgency and desperation from the beginning.”

Minnesota is averaging 109.8 points per game (23rd) on 44.1 percent shooting from the field (28th) and 34.7 percent from three-point distance (26th). Defensively, the Timberwolves are allowing a whopping 117.2 points per game (28th) on 48.1 percent shooting from the field (29th) and 38.8 percent from beyond the arc (28th). Minnesota has gone a pitiful 5-22 on the road.

Celtics Put the ‘I’ in Inconsistency

At 26-26, Boston has underachieved after reaching last season’s conference finals. Boston has been maddeningly inconsistent despite having a pair of young and gifted all-stars in shooting guard Jaylen Brown and small forward Jayson Tatum. The Celtics have won three of four and come into this matchup fresh off a 101-99 home win over New York on Wednesday night.

Brown had a team-high 32 points and 10 rebounds to lead the way to victory while Jayson Tatum added 25 points and 10 board. Marcus Smart added 17 points, including 14 in the fourth quarter. Brown said he and Tatum talked before the game about not dwelling on Tuesday’s 10-point loss to Philadelphia.

“I just needed to be Jaylen. And our team played great tonight,” Brown said.

Boston averages 111.9 points per game (18th) on 46.8 percent shooting from the field (13th) and 37.5 percent from beyond the arc (10th). The C’s allow 110.3 points per game defensively (10th) on 46.4 percent shooting from the field (13th) and 37.4 percent from three-point distance (20th). The C’s have gone 16-10 at TD Garden this season.

Expert Analysis and Prediction

Boston should be favored by approximately six points in this contest and that is a figure I expect the Celtics to cover. Boston is 5-4 ATS over its last nine games while Minnesota is 5-5 ATS over its last 10. The Celtics have won seven straight and eight of nine over the T-Wolves while covering the ATS betting line in every victory. With the Celtics desperate, I say Boston gets it done by nearly double digits.

Pick: Boston 115 Minnesota 106

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