The Oklahoma City Thunder are a big favorite as they play the host of Game 1 in Tuesday’s Western Conference Finals, but will face the Minnesota Timberwolves team.
The Thunder is fresh from a Game 7 victory against Denver on Sunday, but the Timberwolves have not played since eliminating Golden State six days ago.
Odds and trends
Thunder is a favorite with a consensus of 7.5 points. This includes Hetsbur, a popular underdog who helps the Timberwolves cover 67% and 69% of tickets.
A total betline over of 216.5 points reduced 92% of money. It came in as a loser under the total point line despite each of Minnesota’s past four playoff games.
Prop Pick
-ALEX Caruso 2+ 3 Point FGS Made (+110 with Betrivers): Caruso has drained at least two 3 pointers in four of Thunder’s past five games. He will hit more than three on Tuesday night, offering even more appetizing payouts at +280.
-Julius Randle surpassed 19.5 points (-125 in Draftkings): Randle has made a 29-point effort in Minnesota’s Game 5 victory over Golden State, averaging 25.2 points in the series. This meant that after averaging 22.6 points against the Lakers in previous series, Randle scored over 20 points in eight of his 10 playoff games.
Playoff history
The Timberwolves have competed in their second consecutive season and third conference final in history. Minnesota has never made it to the NBA Finals.
Oklahoma City is the first Western Conference Finals since 2016 and will be appearing in its first NBA Finals since 2012.
Defensive feelings
The series features two of the NBA’s top defenses in both the regular season and the playoffs.
The Thunder boasts a defensive rating of 101.6 (points per 100 owner) in 11 playoff games. This postseason is the best. Minnesota’s 106.8 defensive rating is second.
The new era of stars
The matchup will feature two of the league’s top stars in Oklahoma City’s Shy Gill Gas Alexander and Timberwolves’ Anthony Edwards.
Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 29.0 points, 6.4 assists and 5.9 rebounds this postseason, while Edwards averaged 26.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and 5.9 assists.
Gilgeous-Alexander, the most valuable player honor frontrunner, is looking forward to playing against Minnesota cousin Nickeil Alexander-Walker.
The two players were born two months apart in Toronto, both attending Hamilton Heights Christian Academy in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
“It’s going to be so much fun,” Gilgus Alexander said. “It’s hard to explain. If you know how close we are, he’s literally like my second brother. He’s been going through every stage of life with me – to go to school to pick up basketball and make the NBA, we went through every situation together.
“But I’m trying to make sure he’s off.”
In the 2023 play-in game, Alexander-Walker helped hold his cousin for the night of 19 filming.
Alexander Walker said that Gilgauss Alexander’s consistency lifted him to another level.
“It comes from hard work, hard work, looking at it first hand and honestly seeing something no one else has ever seen,” said Alexander Walker. “I’ve never seen discipline like him, so I think that’s the main reason people think he jumped when he was able to do it really consistently because he’s been so disciplined with his approach.”
Season Series
The team split the four-game season series and split two games in Oklahoma City.
Minnesota’s Rudy Goat played in one of their games, the Great Year Day defeat, while Chet Holmgren appeared in two games for the Thunder.
“Apples to Apples, I don’t know if these games are the best frameworks to watch the series,” Thunder director Mark Deignau said. “That would be different.”
prediction
According to Betrivers, Timberwolves have covered the spread as a loser in 16 of 16 of the last 17 games. So Minnesota will have a hard time pulling massive road upsets in Game 1, but don’t be surprised to see them cover. -Thunder 116, Timberwolves 110
– Field-level media
