Halftime Report
Down one at the end of the first quarter, the Pelicans now have the lead. Sitting on a score of 54-53, they have looked like the better team, but there’s still two more quarters to play.
If the Pelicans keep playing like this, they’ll bump their record up to 8-29 in no time. On the other hand, the Timberwolves will have to make due with an 18-18 record unless they turn things around (and fast).
Who’s Playing
Minnesota Timberwolves @ New Orleans Pelicans
Current Records: Minnesota 18-17, New Orleans 7-29
How To Watch
- When: Tuesday, January 7, 2025 at 8 p.m. ET
- Where: Smoothie King Center — New Orleans, Louisiana
- TV: FanDuel SN – North Plus
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket Cost: $1.00
What to Know
The Timberwolves and the Pelicans are an even 5-5 against one another since October of 2021, but not for long. Having just played yesterday, the Minnesota Timberwolves will head out on the road to face off against the New Orleans Pelicans at 8:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday at Smoothie King Center. The Pelicans have the home-court advantage, but the Timberwolves are expected to win by five points.
Having struggled with three defeats in a row, the Timberwolves finally turned things around against the Clippers on Monday. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Los Angeles , sneaking past 108-106. The victory was all the more spectacular given Minnesota was down by 19 with 7:29 left in the second quarter.
Among those leading the charge was Anthony Edwards, who scored 37 points plus eight assists and seven rebounds.
The Pelicans haven’t had quite the year their fans were hoping for to this point, but back-to-back wins may be a sign of good things to come. They rang in the new year with a 110-98 win over the Wizards on Sunday. That’s two games straight that New Orleans has won by exactly 12 points.
Minnesota now has a winning record of 18-17. As for New Orleans, their victory ended a 15-game drought on the road and puts them at 7-29.
The Timberwolves opened the new year with a less-than-successful 117-106 loss to the Pelicans. Can the Timberwolves avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We’ll find out soon enough.
Odds
Minnesota is a 5-point favorite against New Orleans, according to the latest NBA odds.
The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Timberwolves as a 5.5-point favorite.
The over/under is 220.5 points.
See NBA picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get picks now.
Series History
New Orleans and Minnesota both have 5 wins in their last 10 games.
- Jan 03, 2024 – New Orleans 117 vs. Minnesota 106
- Dec 11, 2023 – New Orleans 121 vs. Minnesota 107
- Nov 18, 2023 – Minnesota 121 vs. New Orleans 120
- Nov 08, 2023 – Minnesota 122 vs. New Orleans 101
- Apr 09, 2023 – Minnesota 113 vs. New Orleans 108
- Jan 25, 2023 – Minnesota 111 vs. New Orleans 102
- Dec 28, 2022 – New Orleans 119 vs. Minnesota 118
- Jan 11, 2022 – New Orleans 128 vs. Minnesota 125
- Nov 22, 2021 – Minnesota 110 vs. New Orleans 96
- Oct 25, 2021 – New Orleans 107 vs. Minnesota 98
