The Phoenix Suns had the Minnesota Timberwolves’ number during the regular season, but the Wolves looked like a very different club in beating the Suns in their Western Conference first-round playoff opener. Game 2 is Tuesday in the Twin Cities with Minnesota as a short favorite on the NBA odds
2024 NBA Playoffs Expert Analysis Phoenix vs Minnesota | MyBookie NBA
How to Bet Suns at Timberwolves NBA Odds & TV Info
When: Tuesday, 7:30 PM ET
Where: Target Center
TV: TNT
Stream: TNT app
Radio: Tunein.com
NBA Odds: Timberwolves -0.5 (total 53.5)
Why Bet on Phoenix Suns?
The Suns were pounded in Game 1 at Minnesota, 120-95 on Saturday and to make matters worse lost guard Grayson Allen to a sprained ankle in the third quarter. Allen, having his best season, was driving at Minnesota’s Karl-Anthony Towns before turning his ankle during a spin move. Allen did not return, and X-rays on his ankle were negative so maybe he can play Tuesday. Allen had just four points with five boards and two assists in 25 minutes.
Suns Player Stats vs T-Wolves
1st Game
Kevin Durant 31 pts, 7 rebounds |
Jusuf Nurkic 9 pts, 4 rebounds |
Bradley Beal 15 pts, 2 rebounds |
Grayson Allen 4 pts, 5 rebounds |
Devin Booker 18 pts, 2 rebounds |
The former Duke star started 74 of 75 games played during the regular season, averaging 13.5 points, 3.9 rebounds and three assists per game. He was the league’s leader in 3-point percentage at a 46.1% clip, and tied a franchise-record nine 3s in three games.
Kevin Durant had 31 points and seven rebounds in a losing effort. It was KD’s first 30-point game since April 3. Durant moved into sole possession of 3rd for the most 25+ point games in NBA postseason history (127) after entering the night tied with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (trails only LeBron James & Michael Jordan. Durant was also responsible for five of the team’s 15 turnovers.
Devin Booker had 18 points and five assists. He was just 2-for-6 from deep but 6-for-6 from the free-throw line. Booker entered the postseason with three straight games of 20 or more points. He has gotten to the line often for Phoenix as of late, ending the regular season with five or more made free throws in 11 straight contests. Booker now needs 36 points to surpass Amar’e Stoudemire for 5th on the Suns all-time postseason scoring list and 11 more three-pointers to pass Dan Majerle for the most triples in franchise history.
Bradley Beal finished with 15 points, six assists and three steals. Playing in his 46th career playoff game on Saturday, it marked his 45th career postseason game scoring in double figures and his 12th playoff game recording 3+ steals. Beal shot the ball efficiently, making 60% of his attempts from the field. With Allen injuring his ankle, Beal’s role will be of even greater importance if Allen can’t play.
Eric Gordon also would be more important if Allen sits and could move into the starting lineup. But Gordon was 0-for-5 from the field in 21 minutes in Game 1. Gordon has had no more than five points in a game since the start of April except for one when he scored 11 vs. the Clippers.
“I like Eric Gordon and I like the threat at any game he can go in,” Coach Frank Vogel said. “If he goes 0-for-5 tonight, he can go 5-for-5 in the next game, he is just that type of player.”
With the loss on Saturday, the Suns moved to 68-55 all-time in Round 1 games of the playoffs and 27-33 in Round 1 road games. The Suns dropped to 33-21 all-time in Game 1’s, including an 8-22 mark in Game 1’s on the road.
Bet Phoenix to Win
NBA Betting Odds Tonight
Playoffs Vegas Picks NBA Odds Subject to Change | SPREAD | MONEYLINE | TOTAL |
---|---|---|---|
Minnesota | -0.5 | -130 | O 53.5 |
Phoenix | +0.5 | +107 | U 53.5 |
NBA First Half Lines | 2nd Half NBA Lines |
Why Bet on Minnesota Timberwolves?
If the Timberwolves are going to win this series after going 0-3 against Phoenix in the regular season, they need All-Star guard Anthony Edwards to play better than he did against the Suns, who held him to just 14.3 points per game. In Saturday’s Game 1, Edwards delivered.
T-Wolves Player Stats vs Suns
1st Game
Jaden McDaniels 9 pts, 6 rebounds |
Rudy Gobert 14 pts, 16 rebounds |
Karl Towns 19 pts, 7 rebounds |
Mike Conley 4 pts, 3 rebounds |
Anthony Edwards 33 pts, 9 rebounds |
After a slow start, Edwards had it rolling in the third quarter, when he scored 18 of his game-high 33 points. He was 14-for-24 from the field and 4-for-8 from three-point range. He added nine rebounds, part of a healthy 52-28 edge the Wolves had on the glass, and six assists. He had six turnovers, but just two after the first quarter, and was a plus-19 for the game.
“Sometimes like in the past he’s had those runs lead to like a bad run, just trying to do too much,” Coach Chris Finch said. “But you can see the great growth for him in that he played under control.”
Rudy Gobert had 14 points and 16 rebounds in the win. He led all players in offensive (six) and total (16) rebounds while also going a sparkling 6-of-7 from the foul line. Naz Reid also gave the Timberwolves solid production, finishing with 12 points, two rebounds, two assists, one steal, and two 3-pointers in 19 minutes off the bench.
The Timberwolves’ edge off the bench was evident in Game 1, particularly from Nickeil Alexander-Walker. The shooting guard had a career-best playoff performance with 18 points and registered the highest plus-minus rating of anyone with a +28. His four steals also set a franchise playoff record for a bench player. He and Reid shifted the momentum and helped to erase the lead the Suns held after the first quarter.
“Those guys have been so big for us all year,” Finch said. “They have so much confidence no matter what role they’re playing or where we need them. We need those guys to produce, and tonight they did a great job.”
The T-Wolves bench outscored the Suns’ 41-18. Minnesota pounded the offensive glass for a 52-28 rebound edge. They had 13 offensive boards to just three for the Suns.
However, the Wolves did lose starting forward Kyle Anderson to a hip pointer, and his status for Tuesday is up in the air. Anderson came out less than two minutes into the second quarter after he had played five minutes off the bench. In the five minutes, Anderson made one shot and committed two fouls. Anderson played 79 games in the regular season for Minnesota, averaging 6.4 points, 3.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game on 46% shooting.
Bet Minnesota to Win
NBA Betting Odds Tonight
Suns vs Timberwolves Expert Prediction
Timberwolves 110, Suns 108
NBA Championship Odds 2023/24
- Boston Celtics +120
- Denver Nuggets +280
- Los Angeles Clippers +1200
- Oklahoma City Thunder +1200
- Milwaukee Bucks +1400
- Minnesota Timberwolves +1800
- Dallas Mavericks +2000
- New York Knicks +2000
- Philadelphia 76ers +2200
- Phoenix Suns +2200
- Cleveland Cavaliers +4000
- Los Angeles Lakers +5000
- Indiana Pacers +12500
- New Orleans Pelicans +15000
- Orlando Magic +20000
- Miami Heat +25000
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2024 Timberwolves vs Suns NBA Lines Regular Season, April 5th Edition
It’s a very possible first-round Western Conference playoff preview on Friday night when the Minnesota Timberwolves visit the Phoenix Suns in the second game of an NBA TV national doubleheader. The Suns are short favorites on the NBA odds
2024 NBA Expert Analysis Minnesota vs Phoenix | MyBookie Sportsbook NBA Week 24
How to Bet Timberwolves at Suns NBA Odds & TV Info
When: Thursday, 10 PM ET
Where: Footprint Center
TV: NBA TV
Stream: NBA.com, NBA TV app
Radio: Tunein.com
NBA Odds: Suns -2 (total 219.5)
Timberwolves vs Suns Season Series
Somehow these teams have played just once this season and not since way back on Nov. 15 when the Suns beat the visiting Timberwolves 133-115 behind 31 points each from Devin Booker and Kevin Durant. Booker shot 12 of 22 from the field, adding five assists and four rebounds. Durant made 11 of 15 shots. Phoenix dominated the game for the majority of the night, taking a six-point lead after one quarter, a 22-point lead at halftime and a 28-point advantage into the final quarter. The Suns shot 60% from the field and 55% from 3-point range. Anthony-Towns led the Timberwolves with 25 points. Minnesota was just 5-for-27 from deep. Phoenix has won five straight at home in the series.
Why Bet on Minnesota Timberwolves?
Minnesota, Denver and Oklahoma City are all battling for the top seed in the Western Conference – the Wolves have the best point differential in the West at plus-7.1. They won for the sixth time in seven games Wednesday, destroying short-handed Toronto 133-85 – the worst loss in Raptors history and the Wolves’ largest margin of victory this season. It clinched no worse than the No. 4 seed in the West for Minnesota, guaranteeing home-court advantage in at least the first round of the playoffs.
Minnesota jumped all over its depleted opponent from the beginning. The Wolves moved the ball great out of the gate, tallying assists on 14 of their first 16 makes. The ball movement led to more scorching shooting. The Wolves — who’ve been one of the NBA’s top shooting teams over their past 11 games — buried 20 3-pointers on 47% shooting.
“Just continue to move the ball. We knew we’d face different looks. We seem to be handling switching better now,” coach Chris Finch said. “I think guys are understanding that you defeat it with the pass and the movement, rather than just the bounce.”
Anthony Edwards had 28 points and six assists in the rout and sank five threes in 12 attempts beyond the arc, which matched his third-best total from long range this season. He buried his first triple try of the night, snapping a streak of 22 straight missed 3-point attempts.
“You could see he was being extra aggressive trying to work through his issues,” Finch said. “I thought he stayed within the flow of the game. I thought there were some other plays to be made for him, but I was happy with him being that aggressive tonight for sure, no doubt.”
Having scored at least 21 points in four consecutive games, Ant-Man led Minnesota in assists on a night when starting point guard Mike Conley did not play simply for rest against a bad team. Conley should be back for this one. Last time he took the court Tuesday in a win over Houston, Conley finished with 14 points on 4-of-7 shooting, including 3-of-4 from deep, six assists and a team-high three steals, marking his third consecutive, fifth out of his last sixth and 17th overall game this season with 10+ points/5+ assists/3+ made threes (179th career).
Conley became just the sixth player in NBA history since 1967-68 aged 36 or older to record three consecutive games with 10+ points/5+ assists/3+ made threes and the first player in franchise history aged 36 or older to do so.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker started for him on Wednesday and was 5-for-7 from the field for 14 points with three assists in 23 minutes. Eventually, the Timberwolves emptied their bench in the blowout and gave Monte Morris and Jordan McLaughlin time in the backcourt as well. Naz Reid had 23 points and seven rebounds and has been great amid Karl-Anthony Towns’ (knee) absence. Reid has averaged 18.6 points and 7.0 rebounds over nine consecutive starts.
Wednesday was the 26th time this season that Minnesota held its opponent to 100 points or below. The Wolves are 24-2 on the season when doing so with their 26 the most in the league and their 24 wins also the most. Minnesota now has 18 games on the season allowing 100 points or fewer on 40.0% shooting or worse, the most such games in the NBA this season; Boston (10 games) is the only other team to have 10+ such games.
Why Bet on Phoenix Suns?
The Suns, who might be bound for the play-in tournament, were very impressive Wednesday in their second straight win, 122-101 over an excellent Cleveland team. Phoenix rolled to a 72-47 lead by halftime, making 12 of 18 3-pointers. Devin Booker led all scorers with 19 points before the break while Kevin Durant had 17. Cleveland cut that deficit to 77-66 on Jarrett Allen’s layup midway through the third, but the Suns bounced back to take a 98-77 lead heading into the fourth.
“The first half, you give up 72 points, it’s hard to come back from,” Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “I was proud of the guys’ effort in the second half. I thought we competed at a much higher level.”
A game after scoring 52 points vs. New Orleans, Booker finished with 40 points and eight assists. Over the past two weeks, he has averaged 31.6 points, 6.6 assists and 4.1 rebounds while shooting 54.1% from the field and 90% from the foul line. Those are MVP-type numbers, although Booker won’t win that.
Durant had 32 points, seven assists and six boards. Over the past two weeks, he’s averaging 25.9 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.7 assists while shooting 55.9% from the field and 86.4% from the foul line. It was just the second time this season Booker and Durant both scored at least 30 in the same game. The Suns are now 2-0.
“I think it’s just an energy throughout our whole team. Understanding what’s at stake, what time of year it is,” Booker said of the team’s two big wins this week. “The ball is hopping around, we’re defending at a high level — everything’s hitting.”
Royce O’Neale shot 6-of-9 from the field for 17 points. With Grayson Allen (hip) sidelined, O’Neale was Frank Vogel’s choice to fill the void in the starting lineup. Also impacted by Allen’s absence was Bol Bol, as his minutes increased due to Vogel deciding to stick with an eight-man rotation. Playing 22 minutes, Bol finished with 15 points and six rebounds.
Consider Allen questionable Friday. He has only missed six games for the Suns and has started in all 69 of his appearances. He leads the league in 3-point shooting at 46.9% while averaging 13.4 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. Allen is also one of three players in the NBA this season shooting at least 50 percent from the field, 40 percent from deep and 87 percent from the free-throw line along with Kawhi Leonard and Al Horford.
Phoenix has won 11 of the last 13 meetings against Minnesota overall. Booker scored 43 points against the Wolves on Feb. 28, 2021, the most points ever by a Suns player in the series.
Timberwolves vs Suns Expert Prediction
Suns 115, Timberwolves 113
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