The Minnesota Timberwolves and the Toronto Raptors tip-off their seasons when they jump it up Wednesday night inside Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario. They toss it up at 7:30 pm BetOnline has installed the Timberwolves as a very slim one-point favorite (-117) on the road. 

Minnesota Timberwolves Betting Preview

The Timberwolves (0-0) had an average season last year as they finished the regular season with a 42-40 mark and they were able to sneak into the playoffs, before losing to the eventual champion Denver Nuggets in five games. They have some solid players who can produce on the floor. They have a very solid 1-2 punch with the combination of Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns, who averaged 24.6 points per game and 20.8 points per contest, respectively. 

They improved on their defense last season, and they only surrounded 113 points per game, which ranked 13^th in the league. They also improved on their three-point shooting and connected on around 37% from the floor. Look for them to create some spacing on the floor so others can get some clean looks. They also locked in forward Jaden McDaniels to a five-year, $136 million contract extension.   

Anthony Edwards is the player to watch on Minnesota, which saw the 21-year-old net around 21 points last season. He also ran the floor well for a big man. 

They could be a sleeper team this season and win around 40-plus games again. 

Toronto Raptors Betting Preview

The Raptors (0-0) made a huge change when they fired head coach Nick Nurse after going 41-41. Nurse was hired as the new HC of the Philadelphia 76ers, who relieved Doc Rivers of his duties following another disappointing exit from the playoffs. 

Toronto will now turn to Darko Rajakovic who became the 10^th HC in franchise history. It seems like years since that title run by the Raptors, who won it all back in 2018. The franchise has really undergone a facelift and it will be interesting to see how they respond this season. Their win total sits around 36.5 for the season and many believe the under is the safe play. 

They need to get out to a fast start and against the Timberwolves they also will have to try to win the battle on the boards. They have one of the longest title odds at +8000. They have some depth on their bench and that alone might keep them around .500 for the season if they get consistent production form veteran forward Pascal Siakam, who netted 24.2 points per game to go along with 7.8 rebounds per game. 

Game Odds, Series Trends and Free Pick 

The Raptors dating back to last season are 3-2 in their last five games and 3-2 in their last five games against the spread. They are also 17-24 in their road games against the spread and the totals have gone over in two of their last five games. Minnesota is 21-20 in their road games against the spread dating back to last season. The totals have gone over in 17 out of their last 41 games at home. 

Raptors at home. Toronto + 1 has the edge in this one.