The Golden State Warriors are officially on the brink of elimination as they are down 3-1 against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference Semifinals. Tonight at 9:30 p.m. ET, the Warriors will look to force a Game 6. Minnesota has won the last two games by five and seven points.
Even though the Warriors only lost by seven points in Game 4, their best active player, Jimmy Butler, only finished with 14. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr later said Butler was dealing with an illness in that contest and will return to his usual self in Game 5. Here is my favorite prop bet for Butler against the Timberwolves tonight.
Jimmy Butler over 26.5 points (-105)
This Jimmy Butler era in Golden State has had its ups and downs in year one, but he has shown multiple times in his career and this season that he can bounce back. Butler only attempted nine field goals in Game 4, his lowest since April 9. With Butler expected to be healthier than he was on Monday, a better performance is expected.
Including the play-in tournament game, Butler has scored 27-plus points four times this postseason. With the season on the line and Stephen Curry still on the sideline, Playoff Jimmy is needed for the Warriors. You can get Butler at -105 to score more than 26.5 points on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Butler must be more aggressive than he was in Game 4, where he passed up many opportunities on the offensive end. In Games 1 and 3, Butler played over 40 minutes in each contest. Kerr likely will put Butler on the floor for 43-plus minutes tonight in Game 5. Butler has hit this scoring mark in six of his last 13 games that he has played in at least 25 minutes.
