It's Game 1 of the Western Conference finals on Wednesday night as the Minnesota Timberwolves host the Dallas Mavericks in Game 1. It's a battle of star guards as Dallas' Luka Doncic (who was named to the All-NBA First Team on Wednesday night) squares off with Minnesota's Anthony Edwards (who was a Second-Team pick). Both players are trying to make the NBA Finals for the first time.
Here's the info for Game 1:
Wolves vs. Mavericks -- Game 1 info
Time: 8:30 p.m ET | Date: Wednesday, May 22
Location: Target Center -- Minneapolis
TV channel: TNT | Streaming: TNT app, Max
Odds: DAL +152, MIN -180, O/U: 206.5
Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Dallas Mavericks
This is a tough one. The Timberwolves have won both of their Game 1s this postseason. The Mavericks have lost both of theirs. Dallas has the rest advantage not only from having finished their series on Saturday vs. Sunday for Minnesota, but having played only six games last round instead of seven like the Timberwolves. There's also the hangover factor here. The Timberwolves were built to beat the Nuggets. Knocking off the champs must have felt closer to winning an actual championship than anything this team has experienced before, and they celebrated the win a bit more than you'd typically expect out of a second-round series. With all of that in mind, I'm taking the points here. Dallas can easily win outright, but at the very least, I expect this game to be close. The Pick: Mavericks +4
The Timberwolves held the Nuggets below 100 points in all four of their wins last round. The Mavericks held the Thunder 6.5 points per 100 possessions below their season-long offensive rating. The Mavericks had an offensive rebounding rate of 33.2% in the Thunder series, which would have ranked second in the NBA in the regular season, where they ranked 25th. They aren't going to be able to create all of those second chances against the much bigger Timberwolves. This is going to be a slow, defense-driven series. The Pick: Under 206.5
I picked the under on Luka Doncic's point total in four of the six games against the Thunder. He ultimately averaged 24.7 points per game against the Thunder. A lot for most players, barely anything for him, but remember, Oklahoma City was doubling him constantly to try to get the ball out of his hands. Minnesota may get there eventually -- as they did with Nikola Jokic -- but they'll likely start the series by giving Jaden McDaniels a chance to guard him one-on-one to prevent the onslaught of corner 3's the Thunder had to deal with. The result should be early scoring in this series for Doncic. The Pick: Doncic Over 28.5 Points
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