Timberwolves vs Jazz

Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves should justify their heavy -600 moneyline price in Utah, even coming in on a two-game skid against a Jazz team riding four straight losses and stuck at 14-28.([espn.com](https://www.espn.com/nba/standings)) With Terrence Shannon Jr. ruled out and Naz Reid questionable, Minnesota is still far healthier than Utah, which will again be without Lauri Markkanen, Georges Niang and long-term absentee Walker Kessler, stripping the Jazz of their top scorer, a key stretch-forward and their best rim protector while forcing heavier loads on Keyonte George and Jusuf Nurkic.([espn.com](https://www.espn.com/nba/injuries)) Edwards is on a heater, coming off 55 points and a season average near 30 per game, and he has already crushed Utah this year, averaging 36 points with high-volume threes in two Wolves wins plus a 41-point outburst in a blowout last season, while Minnesota’s size with Rudy Gobert, Julius Randle and Jaden McDaniels has consistently overwhelmed the Jazz frontcourt.([cbssports.com](https://www.cbssports.com/nba/gametracker/preview/NBA_20260120_MIN%40UTA/?utm_source=openai)) The Wolves’ 27-16 record keeps them firmly in the home-court hunt in the West, whereas Utah sits 13th and is sliding away from the play-in picture, reducing their urgency compared with a Minnesota team that can’t afford to drop games like this.([espn.com](https://www.espn.com/nba/standings)) Given the massive talent gap and injury disparity, Minnesota moneyline is very likely to cash but offers limited payout at this price, so it earns a B- grade. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 20/01/2026 12:34

Utah’s porous defense and Minnesota’s hot perimeter scoring scream points on paper, but at 244.5 the total sits in a range where the Wolves’ two-way ceiling and the Jazz’s shorthanded offense start to tug this toward the under. Utah has dropped four straight and is 2-8 in its last 10 while giving up 127.5 points per game on the season and at least 123 in nine of its past 12, yet much of that production runs through now-sidelined pieces like Markkanen and Niang, and they remain without Walker Kessler on the back line.([espn.com](https://www.espn.com/nba/standings)) Minnesota, meanwhile, just gave up 126 in San Antonio but still carries a top-tier point differential, and Chris Finch has shown a willingness to slow pace and lean on Gobert, Randle and a deep frontcourt when protecting leads, especially with Naz Reid banged up and bench shooting potentially thinner.([espn.com](https://www.espn.com/nba/standings)) Edwards’ current scoring binge and his history of lighting up Utah, plus a high-usage role for Keyonte George, absolutely threaten this number, but if the Wolves control the game in Salt Lake City as their record and prior meetings suggest, a second-half slowdown and Jazz scoring drop-off without Markkanen could keep things under this inflated total.([cbssports.com](https://www.cbssports.com/nba/gametracker/preview/NBA_20260120_MIN%40UTA/?utm_source=openai)) With competing forces of extreme volatility versus a thin Jazz roster, Under 244.5 earns only a C+ grade for its middling certainty but reasonable payoff at -110. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 20/01/2026 12:34

Minnesota’s length and two-way firepower make the -11.5 road spread attractive against a depleted Jazz group that has lost four in a row and sits 2-8 over its last 10 while routinely getting blown off the floor.([espn.com](https://www.espn.com/nba/standings)) The Wolves have already handled Utah comfortably this season, winning by 40 and 7 in the first two meetings behind dominant Anthony Edwards performances, and they crushed the Jazz by 26 late last year, reinforcing a clear matchup edge on the wings and in the paint.([cbssports.com](https://www.cbssports.com/nba/gametracker/preview/NBA_20260120_MIN%40UTA/?utm_source=openai)) With Markkanen, Niang and Walker Kessler sidelined, Utah’s frontcourt rotation leans on Nurkic, Kevin Love and a collection of young forwards, a group that has struggled to defend in space and at the rim, while Minnesota can roll out Gobert, Randle, McDaniels and a host of long, switchable bodies even if Naz Reid is limited.([espn.com](https://www.espn.com/nba/injuries)) On top of that, the Jazz are coming off a loss to San Antonio and playing again in Salt Lake City with a fatigued, short-handed core, whereas the 27-16 Wolves are chasing top-four seeding in the West and have generally taken care of business when laying big numbers against undermanned opponents.([cbssports.com](https://www.cbssports.com/nba/gametracker/preview/NBA_20260120_MIN%40UTA/?utm_source=openai)) Laying double digits on the road always carries backdoor risk, but given the talent gap, injury situation and recent head-to-head dominance, Minnesota -11.5 gets a B grade as a higher-upside alternative to the moneyline. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 20/01/2026 12:34