It has been an ugly start to the Western Conference Finals for the Minnesota Timberwolves, with Naz Reid right at the forefront of it. The Oklahoma City Thunder have jumped out to a commanding 2-0 series lead in which they have outscored the Wolves 232-191 and covered the spread in both victories. Across the 465 postseason matchups in which a series has gotten out to a 2-0 deficit, teams have only been able to come back and win at a 7.3% rate. No team has ever been able to climb out of a 3-0 series hole, which Minnesota will be looking to avoid tonight.
Reid finished the opening matchup with just four points and eight rebounds. He followed this up with 10 points and eight rebounds but is shooting just 21.1% from the floor and is a combined 0-for-12 from beyond the three-point arc in the opening two games in the series. The former Sixth Man of the Year is a crucial part of this Timberwolves team and will need to return to form if the team is to have a chance of turning the series around.
Looking at this Game 3 matchup, the Thunder enter as three-point favorites with -148 odds on the moneyline on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Timberwolves hold +124 odds of getting the outright victory with the game total set at 218.5 points.
With the stage set, here are my favorite Naz Reid prop bets for the fateful Game 3 matchup.
Best Naz Reid Prop Bets on DraftKings Sportsbook
Naz Reid’s props are listed at over/under 11.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.5 made three-pointers and 19.5 combined points, rebounds and assists.
Naz Reid Over 5.5 Rebounds (-135)
The shooting output has been ugly for Reid, but he has not allowed this to seep into other areas of his game. The 25-year-old continues to bring effort defensively and has attacked the glass at a high rate. Reid has pulled in eight rebounds in both of the opening two games. Standing 6-foot-9, Reid averaged 6.0 rebounds per game in the regular season and tallied over 5.5 rebounds in 39 games. His rebounding output has dipped to 4.3 per game in the postseason, but he is showing a resurgence in the early parts of this series.
The rebounding battle is a key part of this series. Oklahoma City is a solid rebounding team and has some significant flexibility in its frontcourt options. It finished the regular season ranked 11th in total rebounds, but it has ranked third in this playoff run. However, the Thunder rank dead last among the 16 qualifying teams for rebounds allowed in the postseason, which includes conceding 12.2 offensive rebounds per game.
Reid has logged 28 minutes in both games thus far and could see his role scaled up with some of the matchup problems brought on by Rudy Gobert’s unique skillset. The Thunder have made it a point to space the floor and provide room for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to drive and attack the rim. This has resulted in the Thunder outscoring the Timberwolves 112-64 in the paint thus far in the series. This will continue to be the game plan, and Reid is more versatile in his ability to switch out on the perimeter to help slow this guard attack. Gobert has played 51 combined minutes in the first two games after averaging 33.0 minutes per game in the regular season. Look for Reid’s minutes to further expand and his opportunities for rebounds to grow with this.
While he is due to break out of his scoring lull, count on Reid to continue attacking the glass with ferocity. His physicality has been effective against Chet Holmgren, and the eight rebounds he tallied in each of the previous two games should be evidence of things to come. Look for Reid to make his presence felt and record over 5.5 rebounds for the third straight game.
Naz Reid to Record 20+ Points & Rebounds (+120)
Few players will be as happy to return home as Naz Reid. The fan-favorite has shot the ball much better at Target Center this year. He shot 48.0% from the field and 40.9% from beyond the three-point arc in home games this season while shooting 44.1% from the field and 34.5% from deep on the road.
To his credit, Reid has become less reliant on his perimeter shooting with the struggles in mind. He is attacking the rim at a greater rate and managed to scrap his way to 10 points in the previous game. Reid also got to the free-throw line six times and shot 3-for-3 inside the key.
Last year’s Sixth Man of the Year averaged 14.2 points and 6.0 rebounds in the regular season and is due for some positive shooting regression. The conditions play to his favor back at home, and Minnesota has continued to show faith in Reid by allowing him to play through his struggles. The Timberwolves need a spark of energy, and Reid is the guy to provide it.
Count on his rebounding effort to provide the floor for production and for Reid to do the rest offensively. Even with the struggles, he tallied 18 combined points and rebounds in the previous game. Count on this being his best performance in the series and take advantage of the +120 odds on DraftKings Sportsbook.
