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Sixers vs. Timberwolves Betting Odds, Picks, Prediction (February 25, 2022)

By Philip Keidel

Published: Feb 25th, 2022 · 1:43 PM EST

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On Friday night, the Sixers will be in Minnesota to face the Timberwolves in the Sixers’ first game following the All-Star break. The Sixers have been off for a full week after beating the Milwaukee Bucks last Thursday night in something of an instant classic. The Timberwolves beat the Memphis Grizzlies last night in Minneapolis.

Let’s get into our Sixers vs. Timberwolves betting pick with player prop predictions, odds, and analysis for this February 25, 2022 matchup.

Sixers vs. Timberwolves Betting Pick (February 25, 2022)

For Sixers fans, the James Harden trade has been a little bit like waking up on Christmas morning hoping to find the present you begged Santa for only to open a gift-wrapped cardboard box with a receipt in it — your gift was purchased, but it’s on back order. Harden became a Sixer on February 10. Tonight, two weeks later, Harden will make his Sixers debut.

The excitement around Harden’s arrival and inclusion in what was already a pretty good team is completely understandable. The Sixers have gone from having a fairly fraudulent Big Three (Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris) to having the 2018 NBA Most Valuable Player teaming up with Embiid, who in some places is favored to be the 2022 NBA MVP. It has been an insanely long time since the Sixers had this sort of star power from multiple players…we’re talking Erving and Malone.

The temptation is to mentally jump right to the NBA Finals trophy presentation. That’s fun to think about, but it’s also wildly unrealistic and prone to lead to disappointment. The Sixers are currently fifth on FanDuel Sportsbook in terms of odds to with the title. Golden State, Phoenix, Brooklyn, and Milwaukee are all ahead of them. The Sixers can still do some stuff to improve their chances — winning the first seed in the Eastern Conference, for one. Point is, there is still a lot of work to do. Trading for one player, even a proven commodity like Harden, didn’t win the Sixers anything.

For tonight, though, it’s OK to be excited. It’s OK to dream big. Your metaphorical Christmas present was just dropped off at the front door. Enjoy it.

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Sixers vs. Timberwolves Odds

Here’s the line for the Sixers and Timberwolves at FanDuel Sportsbook:

• Point Spread: Sixers -3 (-108), Timberwolves +3 (-112)
• Moneyline: Sixers -146, Timberwolves +124
• Total: 229

Bets We Like With a Sixers Win

Sixers to Win and Over 229 Total Points (+218, FanDuel Sportsbook)

That total promises a track meet, which makes sense because the Timberwolves play a lot of high-scoring games because they score so many points (113.3 per game, fifth in the league). The Timberwolves also give up a lot of points (111.8 per game, 21st in the league). The Sixers are actually a below average offensive team (107.5 points per game, 21st in the league), but that sort of figures since they’ve played two-thirds of the schedule with a Ben Simmons-sized hole in the roster. The Sixers cannot help but be more potent with Harden. This game is headed for the over.

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Bets We Like Independent of Outcome

James Harden Under 21.5 Points (-120, Caesars Sportsbook)

This pick might feel like a knock on Harden or a buzz kill. It’s not. Harden can have a successful debut tonight without filling it up. And consider the following factors. Harden has averaged 22.5 points per game this season, below his career average of 25 per game. He hasn’t played since Groundhog Day, in part because he was injured and in part because of the trade rumors. Harden will be on the floor with comparative strangers and will probably play between 25-30 minutes. His time to score in bunches will come soon enough.

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D’Angelo Russell Over 19.5 Points (-125, DraftKings Sportsbook)

Harden’s presence on the court will energize the Sixers on the offensive end…and, um, maybe let’s not get into what it’s going to do to the Sixers’ defense, especially against explosive guards. Russell hung 35 on the Sixers in November and he had 37 last night against the Grizzlies. Getting to 20 tonight in what should be a pretty open contest seems probable.

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Karl-Anthony Towns to Record a Double-Double (-118, FOX Bet)

We’re almost wary of this one because it looks so easy. Towns is averaging 24.4 points this season, so the points aren’t really the issue. His rebounding numbers are lagging a bit this season; Towns has averaged 11.4 rebounds per game in his career but only 9.7 per game this season. Still, Towns has had a double-double in eight of his last eleven games. Given how open this game projects to be, Towns should pull down enough rebounds to get this done.

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Sixers vs. Timberwolves Prediction

As set forth above, there are enough factors working against the Sixers to make laying points with them on the road against an above-average team an unsavory proposition. Primarily, it’s the uncertainty around the integration of Harden into the rotations that informs this pick. If there was ever an “excusable” loss for the Sixers, this game qualifies. It’s unreasonable to think that Harden’s debut is going to be totally seamless, especially given how occasionally inept head coach Doc Rivers is where personnel usage is concerned. We’re taking the points.

Pick: Timberwolves +2.5 (-114, Barstool Sportsbook)

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