Anticipated Rematch

Boston and Minnesota’s first matchup of the season back in November certainly lived up to the hype, with the Wolves outlasting the C’s in OT to hand them their first loss. With Boston seeking revenge tonight (and fired up after an extremely controversial loss vs. Indiana), let’s dive into this battle of potential Finals contenders 👀

• While Boston entered the year as the title favorite, Minnesota was considered an afterthought after a disappointing 2023 campaign

• However, the Wolves are finally reaping the benefits of the often maligned Rudy Gobert trade, as their league-leading defensive rating can attest

• Of course, the biggest catalyst for Minnesota’s leap to title contention has been the leap of its young superstar Anthony Edwards 🔥

Despite their rock solid case as a championship heavyweight, the Celtics entered this season with a reasonable amount of uncertainty. The offseason acquisitions of Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday have paid off in spades, with Boston looking like the most complete team in the league. Vegas clearly thinks so, given the Celtics’ status as +310 title favorites 🏆

Timberwolves vs. Celtics Betting Preview

• Spread: Celtics -6

• Moneyline: Celtics -245, Timberwolves +205

• Over/Under: 224

While Minnesota has cooled off after a torrid start to the year, they check all the boxes of a burgeoning championship contender. Equipped with a lockdown defense and an emerging superstar in Edwards, this squad has high hopes in a Western Conference that looks wide open outside of Denver. They coasted to a win last night vs. the feisty Magic, behind a strong effort from Edwards’ co-star Karl-Anthony Towns 🔥

• It’s Minnesota’s versatility on both sides of the floor that establishes the Wolves as a team to take seriously for the first time in decades, and sweeping the season series vs. Boston would stamp Minnesota as a more than legitimate threat

• Edwards dominated crunch time in the first matchup, flashing his MVP-level two-way potential

The Celtics will be entering this one motivated after some suspect officiating left a sour taste in Boston’s mouth Monday night. The C’s likely didn’t need any further motivation after the early season loss to Minnesota, and Jayson Tatum will be looking to assert himself in this superstar battle after Ant got the best of their last matchup 👀

• The Celtics are the rare team whose core lineup boasts zero defensive weak points across the board. With Tatum and Brown directing an equally talented offense, this squad truly possesses an embarrassment of riches

Trivia Question: Gobert is looking to collect his fourth DPOY this year — has anyone else matched this feat?

For My Parlay Gurus

While I don’t think this will be a blowout by any means, it’s hard to see the Celtics dropping this one. Look for Brown to come out hot after Monday night’s frustration, and the Celtics’ start duo to turn up for this high octane matchup 🔥

• Celtics -6 vs. Timberwolves: -114

• Spurs -3.5 @ Pistons: -112

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Trivia Answer: Ben Wallace and Dikembe Mutombo both won DPOY four times, tied for most all time

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