3% Take Minnesota (#510)

My clients and I cashed a ‘right side’ winner backing the T-wolves in Game 1 of this series.  I have no hesitation coming right back with a bet on Minnesota in Game 2 tonight.  Let me start with an extended excerpt from my Game 1 write-up.  Numbers have been slightly edited to reflect the results of Game 1:

Here’s the quote from Minnesota’s veteran guard Mike Conley: “My urgency is at an all time high.  I don’t think there’s anybody on either team that wants it more than me.  I told the guys that, selfishly, ‘do it for me, man.” Meet me at my level right now because I don’t got long….I reminded them the last time I made a deep playoff run was 12 years ago, so its not a given. You got to be taking advantage of the moments you get.  This is a heck of a team we have here and a heck of an opportunity that we don’t want to waste.”

That, folks, is a sense of urgency for this series.  Minnesota is clearly the team with something to prove; bounced out of the first round of the playoffs in each of the last two years. T-wolves center Rudy Gobert: "I really believe that we have a chance. I really believe that (that) type of season that we had don't come just like that. And some teams ... don't have the opportunity to get back together for a lot of different reasons. So, we have a unique opportunity, and I truly believe that everyone in this locker room is aware of that." Fellow big man Karl Anthony Towns: "There's obviously a big hunger here to be able to get to the second round. It's something we haven't done here in Minnesota in a long time. The fans deserve more, and we want more."  

Minnesota dominated the glass with a +24 rebounding margin in Game 1, a matchup edge in their favor. Head coach Chris Finch has a bevy of elite perimeter defenders between Jaden McDaniels, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Kyle Anderson; a team that can match up with the Suns shooters again tonight, just like they did in Game 1.  Anthony Edwards might well be the best player on the floor (apologies to Durant and Booker, but….) in this series.  Naz Reid was hurt last year and missed Minnesota’s playoff loss in five games to Denver, primed to step up here.  And it’s not like the Suns showed all that much fight and urgency down the stretch – Phoenix didn’t finish the regular season ten games under .500 ATS or get blown out in Game 1 by accident.  Lay the points!  Take Minnesota

Line Parameter: 3% at -3.5 or lower, 2% at -4 or higher