Cleveland Cavaliers vs Minnesota Timberwolves Prediction, 1/8/2026 Preview and Pick

Game: Cleveland Cavaliers vs Minnesota Timberwolves

Date: Thursday, January 8, 2026

Location: Target Center in Minneapolis, MN

TV: FanDuel Sports Network

The Minnesota Timberwolves (24-13) are hosting the Cleveland Cavaliers (21-17) at Target Center on Thursday.

The Cavaliers faced the Pacers and went home with a win by a final score of 120-116 in their last contest. In the matter of personal fouls, the Cavaliers ended up finishing with 23 while the Pacers totaled 14 personal fouls. They also knocked down 16 out of their 35 tries from long range. Indiana finished 73.7% at the charity stripe by burying 14 of their 19 attempts. Furthermore, Indiana pulled down 32 rebounds (7 offensive, 25 defensive) and added 6 blocked shots. Indiana dished out 32 assists and had 10 steals in this matchup. In reference to defense, Cleveland allowed 46.2% from the floor on 43 of 93 shooting. They also dished out 33 assists in this contest while forcing the opposition into 14 turnovers and getting 7 steals. When talking about grabbing boards, they compiled a total of 48 with 10 of them being offensive. At the free throw line, the Cavaliers made 12 of 18 attempts for a percentage of 66.7%. Cleveland finished the contest with a 55.7% FG percentage (49 out of 88) and converted 10 of their 26 shots from beyond the perimeter.

Darius Garland is one guy who was a major factor in the matchup. He totaled 29 points on 14 out of 23 shooting. He saw the court for 33 mins played and snagged 2 rebounds. Garland went 60.9% from the floor and also dished out 6 dimes.

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Cleveland comes into this contest with a mark of 21-17 so far this year. They have an average of 119.2 points per contest (9th in the league) while shooting 46.6% from the floor. The Cavaliers are shooting 35.1% on three-point attempts (568 of 1,618) and 78.0% from the free throw line. As a unit, Cleveland is pulling down 45.1 boards per contest and has tallied 1,058 assists for the year, which is 5th in the league in terms of passing. They turn the ball over 14.3 times per game and as a basketball team are committing 20.9 personal fouls on a nightly basis.

Defensively, the Cavaliers are forcing 16.0 turnovers per game while drawing 20.6 fouls. They relinquish 37.8% on shots from beyond the arc and they are 17th in the league in PPG from their opponents (116.8). The Cavaliers defense is giving up a shooting percentage of 46.1% (1,573 of 3,410) and they surrender 44.9 rebounds per contest as a squad. They are currently ranked 26th in basketball in giving up assists to the opposition with 1,027 surrendered on the season.

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the Timberwolves went home victorious with a score of 122-94 when they played the Heat. When discussing rebounding, Minnesota permitted Miami to pull down 50 in all (11 on the offensive side). They went 32.4% from beyond the arc via 12 out of 37 and walked away from this one shooting 12 out of 16 at the free throw line (75.0%). The Timberwolves allowed the Heat to convert 35 of 98 tries from the floor which gave them a rate of 35.7% for this contest. When the final whistle blew, the Timberwolves finished shooting 45 out of 98 from the floor which had them at 45.9%. In relation to 3-pointers, Minnesota buried 14 of 39 tries (35.9%). They were able to knock down 18 of those for a clip of 78.3%. The Heat earned 20 fouls for this contest which took the Timberwolves to the free throw line for a total of 23 tries. They turned the ball over 12 times, while recording 7 steals in this contest. The Timberwolves were able to pull down 52 defensive boards and 11 offensive boards for a total of 63 in this matchup.

Anthony Edwards ended up having an impact for the Timberwolves in this game. He made 8 out of 18 for the game for a field goal rate of 44.4%, and accumulated 5 rebounds. Edwards earned 26 points in his 29 mins on the court and had 3 assists in this contest.

Minnesota has a win-loss record of 24-13 this year. When it comes to offense, the Timberwolves are connecting on 48.0% from the field, which is 7th in basketball. Minnesota has totaled 4,426 points on the season (119.6 per contest) and they grab 44.8 rebounds per contest. They are earning an assist 26.6 times per contest (12th in the NBA) and they turn the ball over 14.2 times per contest. The Timberwolves are committing 21.7 personal fouls every game and they connect on 76.2% from the charity stripe.

The Minnesota defense concedes 35.0% on shots from beyond the perimeter (455 of 1,299) and their opponents are connecting on 78.8% of their shots from the free throw line. They have relinquished 25.4 assists and 43.7 boards on a nightly basis, which ranks them 9th and 13th in the league. The Timberwolves are ranked 9th in basketball in PPG given up with 114.1. They are forcing 15.1 TO's every game and have allowed teams to shoot 45.6% from the floor (4th in basketball).

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Cleveland

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