The Minnesota Timberwolves visit the Houston Rockets as part of Friday night's light six-game NBA slate.
The pregame narrative: Minnesota is down superstar Anthony Edwards but has played well without him and will enjoy a rest advantage against the sputtering Rockets. I like the underdog Timberwolves to cover and have two prop predictions in this +410 same-game parlay recommendation.
Check out my Timberwolves vs. Rockets picks for Jan. 16, featuring SGP legs on Jaden McDaniels and Amen Thompson.
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Timberwolves vs. Rockets picks
Parlay: Timberwolves +4.5 | McDaniels 15+ points | Thompson 8+ rebounds (+410)
Timberwolves +4.5 (-109): The Rockets have been below .500 since the start of December with some bad losses over that stretch.
- Utah
- New Orleans
- Sacramento (x2)
- Portland (x2)
These teams are going in opposite directions. Minnesota is fourth in the NBA in net rating over that same time period and has won six of its last seven games.
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While the Timberwolves are without their leading scorer, they haven't played since Tuesday, giving them a significant rest advantage. The Rockets lost by 20 to the Thunder last night.
Houston is 0-3 on zero days of rest this season and has cleared 105 points just once over its past seven games.
This team is struggling and it wouldn't be surprising if some key rotation pieces are absent tonight on the second half of a back-to-back.
Minnesota is 5-1 over its last six games without Edwards.
NBA SGP prediction
McDaniels 15+ points (-186): McDaniels will have an opportunity to take on a bigger scoring role with Edwards sidelined, and he's taken advantage of that situation before.
In eight games without Edwards, McDaniels has received extra playing time and beefed up his scoring.
- With Edwards: 13.5 PPG, 31.1 MPG
- Without Edwards: 19.9 PPG, 34.6 MPG
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McDaniels has cashed this scoring milestone six times in eight games without Edwards, most recently on Tuesday when he dropped 17 points in a blowout win over the Bucks.
Rockets prop prediction
Thompson 8+ rebounds (-122): The 22-year-old is an excellent rebounder for his size, and his heavy dose of minutes will give him every chance to get to this number again.
- Thompson is 7-3 vs. this line in his last 10 and is second in the NBA in minutes per game.
- He's averaging 8.9 rebounds in January, hitting double digits three times.
Another plus could be Sengun's availability. Houston's centre missed three games earlier this month with an ankle injury, making him a possible rest candidate tonight.
Thompson is averaging 9.0 rebounds in his last five games without Sengun, reaching this milestone four times.
Even if Sengun suits up, Thompson remains a viable play.
Timberwolves vs. Rockets picks made at 1:05 p.m. on Jan. 16, 2026.
