3rd Quarter Report
The Pistons are giving their home crowd exactly what they were hoping for. They have a bit of a cushion as they currently lead the Timberwolves 96-81.
The Pistons came into the game with some extra motivation after the loss they were dealt the last time these two teams faced off. We’ll see if they’re able to flip the script or if it’ll just be more of the same.
Who’s Playing
Minnesota Timberwolves @ Detroit Pistons
Current Records: Minnesota 17-16, Detroit 16-18
How To Watch
- When: Saturday, January 4, 2025 at 7 p.m. ET
- Where: Little Caesars Arena — Detroit, Michigan
- TV: FanDuel SN – Detroit
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket Cost: $22.44
What to Know
The Pistons will be in front of their home fans on Saturday, but a look at the spread shows they might need that home-court advantage. Having just played yesterday, they will get right back to it and host the Minnesota Timberwolves at 7:00 p.m. ET at Little Caesars Arena. The Pistons will be strutting in after a victory while the Timberwolves will be stumbling in from a loss.
The Pistons are headed into this one after the oddsmakers set last week’s over/under low at 215.5, but even that wound up being too high. They welcomed the New Year with a 98-94 win over the Hornets. The victory almost wasn’t to be: Detroit was down 65-52 in the second quarter.
Among those leading the charge was Tobias Harris, who shot 4-for-5 from downtown and dropped a double-double on 24 points and ten rebounds. What’s more, he also racked up three offensive rebounds, the most he’s had since back in November of 2024.
Meanwhile, the Timberwolves suffered their closest defeat since November 24, 2024 on Thursday. They fell just short of the Celtics by a score of 118-115. The loss unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for Minnesota in their matchups with Boston: they’ve now lost three in a row.
Julius Randle put forth a good effort for the losing side as he went 9 for 16 en route to 27 points plus eight rebounds and seven assists. He had some trouble finding his footing against the Thunder on Tuesday, so this was a nice turnaround.
Detroit is on a roll lately: they’ve won five of their last six games, which provided a massive bump to their 16-18 record this season. As for Minnesota, their defeat dropped their record down to 17-16.
The Pistons lost to the Timberwolves at home by a decisive 106-91 margin in their previous matchup back in March of 2024. Will the Pistons have more luck at home instead of on the road?
Odds
Minnesota is a solid 7-point favorite against Detroit, 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 6-point favorite.
The over/under is 217.5 points.
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Series History
Minnesota has won 7 out of their last 10 games against Detroit.
- Mar 27, 2024 – Minnesota 106 vs. Detroit 91
- Jan 17, 2024 – Minnesota 124 vs. Detroit 117
- Jan 11, 2023 – Detroit 135 vs. Minnesota 118
- Dec 31, 2022 – Detroit 116 vs. Minnesota 104
- Feb 06, 2022 – Minnesota 118 vs. Detroit 105
- Feb 03, 2022 – Minnesota 128 vs. Detroit 117
- May 11, 2021 – Minnesota 119 vs. Detroit 100
- Dec 23, 2020 – Minnesota 111 vs. Detroit 101
- Nov 11, 2019 – Minnesota 120 vs. Detroit 114
- Mar 06, 2019 – Detroit 131 vs. Minnesota 114
