Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Oklahoma City Thunder Game 2 Prediction, NBA Odds
OKC proved why they are the top overall seed in the playoffs when they dominated Minnesota in a 114-88 blowout victory to open this series on Tuesday. Can the Thunder continue to press, or will the Timberwolves draw even when they teams meet for Game 2 on Thursday night?
Oklahoma City is a 7.5-point favourite to win on the NBA odds, with the total pegged at 217.5.
Timberwolves vs. Thunder NBA Betting Odds
Don’t count out Minnesota after Game 1’s lopsided performance. If the regular season is any indication, this series is far from over as the teams have alternated victories over the last seven head-to-heads.
You should also keep in mind that while OKC has clearly been a dominant team on the moneyline, they’ve struggled to cover spreads, going 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games.
The series line now features the Thunder as massive -650 favourites to win on the NBA futures board, while the Timberwolves are +475 underdogs. Oddsmakers are banking on this being a short series as the exact favoured result is an Oklahoma City win in five games at +175.
Anthony Edwards didn’t have his best performance in Game 1, but if you still believe Ant-Man will come in clutch when it counts, you can get him at +1400 to lead the series in points.
If you’re looking for a longer term play, these teams are at the opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to their championship odds. Of the four remaining teams, OKC is a -220 favourite to win the NBA championship, while Minnesota has the longest odds at +850.
Minnesota Timberwolves
Julius Randle had a team-high 28 points in Game 1, but he was largely ineffective as the game went on, putting up just eight points in the second half. Anthony Edwards was also far from his best. Edwards, who entered Tuesday averaging 26.5 points per game, only managed 18 points on 5-of-13 shooting in Game 1. Minnesota needs to do a much better job in the paint where they were outscored by 34 points. A lot of that comes down to their shooting struggles as they finished just 34.9 per cent from the field and 29.4 per cent from beyond the arc.
Oklahoma City Thunder
To no one’s surprise, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who just became the second ever Canadian to win regular season MVP, went off for a game-high 31 points on Tuesday. SGA struggled early, putting up 11 points on 2-of-13 shooting in the first half before exploding for 20 points in the second half. It was an efficient offensive performance from the Thunder, who shot 50 per cent from the field and 52.4 per cent from 3-point range. OKC pulled away in the second half thanks in large part to the defence, which forced 17 turnovers in the game.
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