For only the third time in NBA history, a sixth seed is facing a seventh-seeded team in the postseason. It’s the second time in the past three years, and both featured the Golden State Warriors.
The Warriors are the No. 7 seed this year, facing off with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Golden State earned an impressive 99-88 victory over the T’Wolves on Tuesday night, earning their third road victory of this postseason with their stingy defense.
Minnesota didn’t do itself any favors, shooting just 39.5 percent from the field and missing 24 of their 29 three-point attempts. With their miserable performance, the Timberwolves personified the “playoff rust” theory for teams that earn quick playoff victories over their first-round opponents.
Can Minnesota rebound to avoid a 0-2 start to this second-round series, especially now that Steph Curry has been ruled out for tonight’s game? We’ll cover that and our three favorite player prop bets for Thursday’s Western Conference semifinal contest.
Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards struggled against Golden State in the series opener, going 9-of-22 from the field and turning over the ball three times in the loss. He also didn’t get his teammates involved, dishing out only two assists in his lackluster performance.
Edwards will improve in Game 2 on Thursday. During his team’s lone loss in the Western Conference quarterfinals, he produced a similar line: 25 points and zero assists. With Minnesota looking to avoid an embarrassing second loss, the 6-foot-4 player will facilitate the offense and earn at least six assists tonight to cover this player prop bet.
With Curry playing only eight minutes in Game 1, Golden State revealed what life would be like without their star point guard. The Warriors used a balanced team effort that witnessed forward Jimmy Butler scoring 20 points, falling second only to Buddy Hield’s game-best 24 points in the win.
Bettors should not expect Butler to score significantly more without Curry in the lineup on Thursday. Minnesota will focus its defensive efforts on slowing the 6-foot-7 veteran, and he’ll finish below his scoring prop bet for tonight’s contest.
Minnesota forward Julius Randle had a strong showing against the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round. Despite a 16-point, three-rebound effort to start the series, he finished the initial round averaging 22.6 points and 5.2 boards in five games.
He again started against the Warriors with a similarly weak showing, notching just 18 points and three rebounds in his team’s loss. Bettors should expect him to produce a strong outing on Thursday night, finishing with at least 27 total points and rebounds against Golden State.
Even without Curry, the Warriors are a dangerous team. Their defense has allowed 102 points per game through their first eight playoff contests, putting them among the league leaders in that category.
Minnesota should win tonight, especially with Curry sidelined due to his injury. Still, as unpredictable as the second round has been thus far, it wouldn’t shock me if Golden State pulled out an upset. Either way, expect the Warriors’ defense to keep this contest close and cover their 10.5-point spread.
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