Clippers vs. Timberwolves Prediction, Odds and Best Prop Bets for NBA Cup Group Play

The Minnesota Timberwolves are short-handed heading into their first NBA Cup game on Friday night, as star guard Anthony Edwards (knee) is out for the next two months and won’t participate in any of the team’s NBA Cup matchups.

That’s a huge blow to the Wolves, who lost their last game against the Golden State Warriors at home as favorites. Minnesota started the season 3-0 and remains a contender in the Western Conference as long as Edwards is in the lineup. However, it has dropped back-to-back games (one with the star guard) heading into this matchup with the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Clippers had a brutal offseason with the Kawhi Leonard scandal, but they started the 2026-27 strong, blowing out the Sacramento Kings by 25 points at home. Since then, Darius Garland and Co. have lost three games in a row, failing to score 100 points in a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday.

Oddsmakers have set the Clippers as clear underdogs in this NBA Cup clash on Friday night. Can the Wolves cover even without their best player?

Here’s a look at the odds, a player prop to bet and my prediction for this Western Conference battle on Friday.

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Edwards is sidelined for the next two months with a knee injury, which means someone has to step up scoring the ball for the Timberwolves.

The veteran forward had 19 points on 8-for-18 shooting in Wednesday’s loss to Golden State , and he’s shooting 54.8 percent from the field this season. It makes sense that the Wolves want to lean on McDaniels for a bigger scoring role, and he showed he was capable of it last season, including in the playoffs.

In his last 10 games during the 2025-26 season without Edwards, McDaniels averaged 18.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. The Clippers have been pretty good defensively this season, but I still like McDaniels given the lack of options for more shots in Minny.

These two teams are both in the top 10 in the league in defensive rating this season, and Minnesota’s uptempo offense has now taken a major hit with Edwards sidelined.

The Wolves have played three games that have hit the UNDER (out of five) in the 2026-27 season, allowing under 100 points in two of them. Meanwhile, the Clippers have hit the UNDER in three of their four games, including Wednesday’s loss against the Lakers.

The Clips are averaging just 106.5 points per game (bottom five in the league), and they lack scoring options with Brandon Ingram, Bradley Beal, Max Strus and others sidelined to start the season.

Since the Wolves are still finding an offensive identity without Ant Man, I think the UNDER is a great bet in this NBA Cup clash.

Pick: UNDER 221.5 (-110 at DraftKings)

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.

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