We’re on to the Conference Finals this week with the Thunder and Wolves tipping off Game 1 in the West on Tuesday. Ryan Cook shares his best play in our Tuesday Daily NBA Tips.
Oklahoma City Thunder vs Minnesota Timberwolves
10:30am, Paycom Center
Plenty to dissect in this series between two sides that traded jabs right through the regular season.
The Thunder and Wolves both split their four meetings two wins apiece, their latest being an overtime thriller that saw Shai Gilgeous-Alexander drop 39 points.
The Wolves are rested in comparison to the Nuggets, who had to fight to the death to make it past the Nuggets on Monday in what turned out to be a less-than-exciting blowout. While rest is important, it’s worth remembering we’ve seen a few teams struggle and show rust through these playoffs off a longer layoff.
Side by side, the Thunder are the better team on the glass and have also taken care of the ball better, committing four fewer turnovers per-game compared to the Wolves.
The battle on the glass will be huge in this series, and if the Wolves wish to keep pace with the Thunder, they’ll need the same production they’ve received from Julius Randle through the first two rounds.
While I mentioned their latest high-scoring game earlier, I think this series will be incredibly defensive based on what we’ve seen. Double teams and rim protection has carried both teams so far, so much so that we’ve even seen SGA and Anthony Edwards have some quiet nights on the points sheet.
With both sides likely feeling each other out, I think the Under is the way to play Game 1.
Tip: Under 215 Total Points