The Minnesota Timberwolves could not quite get over the hump on Monday night, falling to the Oklahoma City Thunder by two in Game 4.
Now, the Western Conference Finals may end tonight.
Minnesota superstar Anthony Edwards will certainly go down swinging. He leads my Timberwolves vs. Thunder props and NBA picks before tip at 8:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday, May 28.
Best Timberwolves vs Thunder props
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Edwards 30+ points (+155 at bet365) - Randle o4.5 assists (+120 at bet365)
Williams o21.5 points (-120 at bet365)
Timberwolves vs Thunder player props for May 28
Anthony Edwards 30+ points (+155 at bet365)
Tonight will be the seventh time Anthony Edwards has played an elimination game, with the Minnesota Timberwolves going 3-3 in those moments in his career thus far. The last four times, all from last postseason, Edwards never cracked 30 points.
Then why back him now? Well, for one thing, he scored 29 and 28 in the elimination stressors in last year’s Western Conference Finals against the Mavericks. For another, a quiet Game 4 should set up Edwards for an aggressive Game 5.
Taking just 13 shots for the second time this series was reminiscent of an early January game when Edwards scored just 15 points on 16 shots against the Celtics. Afterward, he loudly lamented how often he is double-teamed. Edwards handled Monday’s defenses better, part of how Minnesota scored 126 points against the best defense in the NBA.
But his quiet offense was familiar.
Edwards responded to that Boston frustration by scoring 53 points in a game two nights later, going 10-of-15 from deep against the Pistons. Of course, the Timberwolves lost that game, too.
However, his aggression was predictable. With Minnesota’s back against the wall tonight, do not expect Edwards to go quietly against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Julius Randle Over 4.5 assists (+120 at bet365)
When Edwards scored those 53 points in Detroit, Julius Randle dished out six assists. Those two things were quite related.
Two of Randle’s assists were to Edwards for layups. When Randle found himself stymied by a defender, an aggressive Ant was cutting toward the hoop.
Add a couple of those looks to Minnesota’s hot shooting from Game 4, and Randle should set up teammates all night. When Donte DiVincenzo, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and Jaden McDaniels combine to go 13-of-22 from deep, it becomes all the more likely Randle will find them as he draws defenders to him in the paint.
That remains an Oklahoma City want. The Thunder give up looks from long range, and it is part of their defensive design. They would rather focus on someone like Randle inside, part of how he has so struggled in this series.
Randle has cleared this prop just once in the Western Conference Finals, but he did so in four out of five games last round. It is far more attainable than perhaps recognized, hence the plus-money value.
If Minnesota’s shooting stays notable, then that will be to Randle’s playmaking benefit.
Jalen Williams Over 21.5 points (-120 at bet365)
Jalen Williams rose to the moment in Game 4. Without his stellar play, this series is tied. Going 6-of-9 from deep is one thing. Scoring 34 points is another. The Thunder needed every one of those buckets.
It was the third time this series that he has provided that lift at the Timberwolves’ expense, and with a Finals berth on the line, it should be trusted that Williams will fire once more.
As Minnesota’s offense has found a rhythm — scoring 269 points in two games against Oklahoma City warrants more praise than it has gotten — the Thunder have needed Williams’s scoring to just keep up.
With the attention Minnesota is devoting to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams can fill that need. He did in Game 4, and doing so in Game 5 could send Oklahoma City to the championship round.
Timberwolves vs Thunder betting resources
- Timberwolves vs. Thunder prediction
- Timberwolves vs. Thunder first basket picks
- Timberwolves vs. Thunder same-game parlay
- Anthony Edwards picks
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander picks
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