The conference round of the NBA Playoffs resumes with one standalone matchup on Thursday night, as Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals between the Thunder and Timberwolves takes center stage at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Our staff of basketball betting experts dug into the latest odds and identified 6 NBA picks for tonight's contest. Continue below for our NBA best bets and predictions for Thursday, May 22.
NBA Playoffs Best Bets, Picks, Predictions: Thursday, May 22
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Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Always shop for the best price using our NBA Odds page, which automatically surfaces the best lines for every game. | ||
Timberwolves vs. Thunder
By Joe Dellera
In Game 1 of this series, the Wolves' primary strategy against Oklahoma City was to bomb from deep, as they took a whopping 51 shots from beyond the arc which accounted for 61% of their attempts.
One player that can help with that is Donte DiVincenzo. He has averaged 14.7 Points + Assists (PA) this season, and is due for a bit of positive regression after the series opener.
Donte had 2 dimes on 6 potentials, but he had the second most passes on the Wolves.
Further, he was just 3/14 from the field including 3/12 from 3-point range. He’s a 40% 3 point shooter over the past few seasons, and on that volume, this spot sets up well for him.
Minnesota shot just 29.4% from 3-point range in Game 1, and I expect a bit of a bounce back given the volume.
This should help Donte for both his own scoring, but his assists as well.
Pick: Donte DiVincenzo Over 12.5 Points + Assists (-110)
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Timberwolves vs. Thunder
The Timberwolves desperately seek consistency in their backcourt to pair with Anthony Edwards.
Therefore, while Mike Conley is far from his prime, considering he’s 37, Wolves head coach Chris Finch might value his veteran’s experience over some of his more youthful options like Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Donte DiVincenzo.
Both players are shooting under 35% from the floor and below 28% from the perimeter in the playoffs.
Although Conley’s field goal percentage isn’t much better at 33.8%, he is shooting 34.1% on three-point attempts. But Conley has shown a more complete game with his ability to run the offense, dish out assists and contribute on the glass.
He’s averaging 7.0 rebounds + assists compared to 6.4 from DiVincenzo and just 3.5 from Alexander-Walker.
Conley has a rebounds + assists prop of 5.5 — a number he has cleared in 13 straight games on the road. If we look at his performances against OKC, Conley covered this line in four of the last six meetings.
Game 2 is an excellent spot for the Timberwolves to bounce back after losing the series opener by 26 points.
Look for Conley to lead by example and do the little things to help Minnesota get back into the series, even if he continues struggling with his shot.
Pick: Mike Conley Over 5.5 Rebounds + Assists (-138)
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Timberwolves vs. Thunder
Jalen Williams went over this line again last game.
So, that means he has now hit this in 9 of his last 12 outings, giving this a 75 percent hit rate in the playoffs.
His misses have been nine, eight and eight, respectively.
I've played this almost every game in the playoffs because it's pretty much always at either 9.5 or 10.5, and unless he slumps, I'm not moving off of it.
It's a high floor play with a high hit rate. And because he has gotten exactly 11 in five of his nine overs — none of his last four — I would just play it at over 10.5 for now, but at the moment, you're still getting -105, so you won't have to worry about this line moving (yet).
Pick: Jalen Williams Over 10.5 Rebounds + Assists (+100)
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Timberwolves vs. Thunder
The first matchup of this series took huge sharp action to the over, moving from a consensus 214 open to a 219 close.
The readjustment back down to the opening number from Game 1 simply because it went under is wrong.
In repeat matchups, which is obviously the case in NBA playoff series, I like to play these outlier big moves back to the previous close.
Five points in the total is a reason to play the over at 214.
If Game 1 went way over and was repriced at 224 from a 219 close, I would be playing the under.
Pick: Over 214.5 (-110)
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Timberwolves vs. Thunder
By Joe Dellera
The Wolves struggled mightily on offense in Game 1 and Anthony Edwards never got rolling. He was 5/13 from the field and 3/8 from beyond the arc.
Edwards talked in the postgame presser about how OKC threw a variety of different coverages at him and how he may need to address this. He has struggled as a scoring threat against the Thunder throughout his career; however, his ceiling as worth tapping into in this series.
