Tonight at 8:30 p.m. ET, the Oklahoma City Thunder will attempt to take a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference Finals against the Minnesota Timberwolves. In Game 1, the Thunder beat the Wolves by 26 points.
The Thunder’s second-year big man, Chet Holmgren, has improved his play in the postseason, averaging 15.7 points and 9.5 rebounds. Check out my favorite prop bet for Holmgren in Game 2.
Chet Holmgren over 8.5 rebounds (-125)
Holmgren’s most significant improvement this postseason has been his rebounding ability. He has seven games with double-digit rebounds in the playoffs. Even though he is coming off his lowest rebounding night since Game 1 against the Denver Nuggets, he is in a good spot to bounce back tonight. You can get him at -125 to record more than 8.5 boards tonight on DraftKings Sportsbook.
In the postseason, Holmgren averages the ninth-most boards per game in the NBA (9.5). He finished with seven rebounds in Game 1 but played only 26 minutes, his fewest since the first game of the postseason. OKC outrebounded Minnesota 46-42 and had three players with seven or more rebounds. Jalen Williams had eight of them in Game 1, two and a half more than his playoff average. Isaiah Joe also grabbed eight boards in 13 minutes on the floor, which was his most of the entire season.
If things trend back to the norm for the Thunder, Holmgren should be able to get back on track in the rebounding department tonight. With Minnesota needing a victory tonight to tie the series, expect a closer game resulting in more minutes from Holmgren. As the series progresses, look for him to get more comfortable and improve each game.
