The Oklahoma City Thunder head into Minnesota for Game 3 against the Timberwolves tonight looking every bit of the title contender which was promised this season. With a firm 2-0 lead in the Western Conference Finals, NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander looks to push the lead to three games and bring the T-Wolves to the brink of elimination. However, Anthony Edwards certainly won’t go down without a fight.
Here’s a Timberwolves vs. Thunder prediction and pick on DraftKings Sportsbook for tonight’s Western Conference Finals Game 3.
Timberwolves vs. Thunder prediction, pick
The home-team Timberwolves actually enter tonight’s contest as underdogs, even in front of their own crowd. They’re three-point dogs in this contest, a line which has ticked up half a point since this morning, with +124 odds to win on the Moneyline and -110 odds to cover the spread. On the flip side are the Thunder at -148 on the Moneyline, also listed at -110 to cover. The game total of 218.5 combined points slightly favors the over at -112.
With the odds out of the way, let’s get into the nitty gritty of this contest. The Thunder look dominant so far in this series having won Game 1 with a 114-88 finish, followed by a 118-103 win in Game 2. While that second contest was a bit closer than the first, the Timberwolves’ largest lead was just two points for a very brief moment, after which Oklahoma City took the advantage and never looked back.
The Thunder certainly have the best player in the series thanks to newly-crowned MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, whose 31 and 38 points powered his team to this 2-0 series advantage. The Wolves haven’t seen this kind of consistent production from their stars as Anthony Edwards posted 18 and 32 points, while Julius Randle scored 28 and then just six across the first two games. Rudy Gobert is also struggling with two points and three rebounds in Game 1, then five points and nine boards in Game 2.
If the Wolves’ stars could all play well on the same night, this series would look a lot closer. Thankfully, Randle probably won’t have another awful night like he did last time out, and if both he and Edwards click tonight, Minnesota should pull closer (or at least lose in a 15-plus point blowout). The problem lies in the rebounding battle as the Wolves were outworked on the glass in both games. Sure, Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein are a formidable frontcourt duo, but Gobert has to step up — otherwise, the underdogs may see a quick end to this series.
The Thunder are the better team, but it’s difficult to see the Timberwolves going down without a fight. They typically respond in situations like this, so watch for them to punch back and win this game outright to keep the Western Conference Finals competitive. Is it a bit of a contrarian pick? Yes, but the +124 odds are a bit compelling as well.
Top Pick: MIN Timberwolves ML (+124)
