The 2024 NBA Playoffs will tip off Saturday for what should be an interesting first-round matchup in the Eastern Conference as the No. 3 Minnesota Timberwolves will battle the No. 6 Phoenix Suns in a best-of-seven series.
Minnesota put forth the franchise’s best regular season in two decades and will enter the playoffs as the three-seed in the West. The Wolves got off to a fast 22-6 start before Christmas and continued rolling from there, putting themselves in contention for the No. 1 seed up until the final weekend of the campaign. This surge can be attributed to the star trio of Anthony Edwards, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Rudy Gobert staying healthy and dominating while backup center Naz Reid emerged as a Sixth Man of the Year contender.
Phoenix enters the postseason as the six-seed in the West and there’s potential for it to be the biggest chaos team in the entire bracket. Suns fans had to wait until the holidays to finally see the trio of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal on the floor at the same time due to injuries and they were able to get things rolling after New Year’s. The team was looking like it was bound for the play-in tournament, but a win and a Pelicans loss on the final day of the regular season allowed it to jump up to the No. 6 seed.
Here’s an in-depth look at the matchup between the Timberwolves and Suns, along with our prediction for the series. All odds are courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.
Timberwolves vs. Suns predictions
Odds to win series: Suns -130, Timberwolves +110
Regular season record: Timberwolves 56-26, Suns 49-33
Head-to-head record: Suns 3-0
Phoenix ended up sweeping the season series against Minnesota and did so handily with every game being decided by double digits. Each of those games involved the Suns getting high offensive production from their starters, which is to be expected when you have prolific scorers like Durant, Booker, and Beal. Phoenix also held Minnesota to under 50% shooting in two of those matchups, so it will be imperative for the Wolves to not fall into an early hole and let things snowball.
Minnesota does have homecourt advantage in this series and did a good job defending its turf in the regular season, posting a 30-11 record at the Target Center this year. The T-Wolves were also 32-10 in games decided within 10 points, so they should be fine if they don’t let the Suns build a sizable lead early.
Pick: Timberwolves in 6 games (+700)
Phoenix had Minnesota’s number during the regular season, but I think the Wolves will get the last laugh to advance to the next round. The focus will be on the Big 3 for both teams, but depth will play a huge factor down the stretch and I can see the presence of players like Reid, Mike Conley, and Jaden McDaniels making a huge difference for the Wolves. There’s also the element of this team suffering back-to-back first-round exits the previous two years, so there will be extra motivation to break through and not let a successful regular season go to waste.