The Dallas Mavericks will hit the road once again to begin the Western Conference Finals, facing the Minnesota Timberwolves in a matchup of two upstart teams hoping to contend for a long time. The Mavericks have been smoked in both previous Game 1s in these playoffs, so they’ll be hoping to flip that script Wednesday evening.
Here’s a look at some of our favorite Mavericks player prop bets to target for Game 1 Wednesday, with odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.
Luka Doncic under 28.5 points (-102)
In the two games he played against the Timberwolves during the regular season, Doncic went for 30+ points. He dropped 33 in the series opener against the Clippers but managed only 19 points in Game 1 against the Thunder. The Timberwolves are built similar to Oklahoma City, with plenty of players who could serve as defensive specialists to take Doncic. Jaden McDaniels, Anthony Edwards and Mike Conley are all up to the task, and I think the gameplan will be to limit Dallas’ star guard. I see Doncic falling under this line Wednesday.
Dereck Lively under 6.5 rebounds (-142)
Lively was dominant on the glass against the Clippers and Thunder, averaging seven rebounds per game while splitting playing time with Daniel Gafford. He’s coming off back-to-back contests with double-digit boards, so there’s some momentum in his favor. However, Lively has not faced a frontcourt like this one in the playoffs yet. The rookie is talented but I don’t see him having much success against the likes of Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert. Look for him to go under this line tonight.
P.J. Washington under 2.5 3-pointers (-175)
There was a three-game stretch against the Thunder where Washington was arguably Dallas’ second-best offensive player. He was averaging 25.7 points per game and shooting 50% from behind the arc, going over this three-point prop line in all three games. Since then, he has gone under this line twice and has fallen back to Earth a bit given his production during the regular season. He played two games against the Timberwolves as a member of the Hornets, going 1-1 to the over on this line. I believe he continues to struggle from the perimeter in Game 1 of this series and stays under on this prop.