Game one of this Western Conference first-round series between the Suns and Timberwolves tips off at 3:30 PM ET from the Target Center in Minneapolis. ESPN is carrying the game on TV, and the Timberwolves are the slight favorite, with a point spread of -1.5. On the money line, Minnesota is at -122 compared to +101 for the Suns. The over/under line is sitting at 214.5 points.

PHOENIX SUNS VS MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES BETTING PICK

The Pick: Phoenix Suns +1.5

This game will be played at Target Center at 3:30 ET on Saturday, April 20th.

WHY BET THE PHOENIX SUNS:

  • We have this one finishing with a projected score of 113-112 in favor of the Suns.
  • Our projections have Kevin Durant finishing with Kevin Durant points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists.
  • From the field, we have the Suns finishing with a field goal percentage of 49.1% and knocking down 16 threes.

Can The Suns Secure a Road Victory?

Phoenix has won three straight games as the underdog and is 9-12 on the season in games where they are the underdog. Today, they are getting 1.5 points as the underdog. In their games as the underdog, they have gone 10-11 ATS.

In their last game against Minnesota, the Suns won 125-106 as 2.5-point underdogs. The teams combined for 231 points, easily surpassing the O/U line of 216.5.

This season, the Suns have a 36-45-1 O/U record, with an average of 229.4 points per game. In their 82 games, every game has had a higher O/U line than today’s line of 214.5.

Phoenix’s road record this season is 24-17, and they have won four straight games on the road. Currently, they are 6th in the Western Conference and have gone 29-23 against other teams in the West.

Phoenix is averaging 116.2 points per game this season, which is the 9th best mark in the league. Their scoring average on the road is even better at 116.7 points per contest. Looking at their field goal percentage, the Suns are one of the most efficient teams, shooting 49% from the field. This is the 5th best mark in the NBA.

Bradley Beal has knocked down 3.8 threes per game in his last five games, hitting 73.1% of his looks from downtown. This has led to an average of 26.8 points per game in that stretch. Over his last five games, Devin Booker has averaged 23.6 points per game, but he has hit just 29.4% of his threes in these games. Kevin Durant is averaging 27.1 points per game this year, as is Devin Booker.

So far, the Suns’ defense is ranked 13th in the league at 113.2 points per contest. In the terms of takeaways, Suns are causing 14.1 turnovers per game, ranking 25th in the league. They also enter the matchup ranked 6th in rejections, averaging 6 blocked shots each game.

Are Minnesota Ready for a Home Win?

Minnesota is 47-16 as the favorite this season and are favored by 1.5 points today. As the favorite, they have gone 29-33 ATS, with an average scoring margin of +8.6 points per game.

In their last game against the Suns, the Timberwolves were also favored (-2.5) but lost by a score of 125-106. This dropped their ATS record to 40-41 on the season.

On average, Minnesota’s games have finished with 219.5 points compared to today’s O/U line of 214.5. This season, their games have averaged an O/U line of 221 points.

Minnesota’s O/U record for the season is 42-40, and 69 of their games have had higher O/U lines than 214.5. In their last game, the O/U line was 216.5.

The Timberwolves are currently 3rd in the Western Conference with a record of 56-26. In non-conference games, they are 19-11 and 37-15 against other Western Conference teams.

This season, Minnesota is 40-41 ATS, and they have failed to cover the spread in their last three home games. At home, they have a straight-up record of 30-11 and are 18-23 ATS.

Minnesota comes into the game as the NBA’s 3rd-ranked three-point shooting team, hitting 38% of their shots from downtown. Overall, they are 10th in field goal percentage, at 48%. The Timberwolves are averaging 113 points per game this year, which is 17th in the league.

Anthony Edwards has been playing well of late for the Timberwolves, averaging 25.8 points per game over his last five games. In these games, he hit 48.8% of his shots from the field. Rudy Gobert has averaged 14.6 rebounds in his last five games to go along with 19.2 points on a field goal percentage of 77.1%.

So far, the Timberwolves’ defense is ranked 1st in the league at 106.5 points per contest. The Minnesota defense has allowed opponents to shoot 35.6% from beyond the arc this season. Opposing teams are also hitting 45.1% of their field goal attempts vs. Minnesota.