The Timberwolves host the Suns for Game 1 of the NBA playoffs on Saturday! We now continue our NBA odds series with a Suns-Timberwolves prediction and pick.

The Timberwolves burst onto the scene last year to get into the playoffs from the play-in and built off that to jump to the three-seed this season. The Timberwolves have statistically been the best defensive team in the entire NBA this season. Anthony Edwards has emerged as one of the biggest stars in the NBA and has gotten a lot of help from Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert down low. The defense has gotten them to this spot in the NBA, and they have enough offense, especially between Edwards and Towns to give any team issues in the postseason, let alone the Suns in this upcoming series.

The Suns might be the most aggressive team in the NBA since Matt Ishbia bought the team in early 2023. A lot has changed since the Suns made the NBA Finals in 2021, with Devin Booker being the only piece that has lasted. This past offseason the Suns revamped their roster to add more depth, add more star power with Bradley Beal, and get more consistency down low. They hired Frank Vogel after another no-show in the playoffs to improve their defense. This season has been a very weird season for the Suns. They are in the top half of the league in both offense and defense and their stars steal the show with Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, and Bradley Beal finally looking like they put it together just in time for the postseason. This will be a huge series and postseason for Phoenix.

Here are the NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

NBA Playoffs Odds: Suns-Timberwolves Game 1 Odds

Phoenix Suns: +2 (-110)

Moneyline: +110

Minnesota Timberwolves: -2 (-110)

Moneyline: -130

Over: 214 (-110)

Under: 214 (-110)

How to Watch Suns vs. Timberwolves Game 1

Time: 3:30 pm ET/ 12:30 pm PT

TV: ESPN

Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why The Suns Could Cover The Spread/Win

The Suns have excelled just slightly more on offense than their defense this season. They are 10th in both scoring offense and overall offensive rating, averaging 116.2 points per game this season and then having a rating of 116.8. The Suns are also fifth in field goal percentage at 49.3% per game. That is emblematic of the shot-making this team has compared to others in the postseason. Six different Suns players average over double digits with both Kevin Durant and Devin Booker tied for the lead in scoring at 27.1 points per game. Devin Booker has seen more time this season playing point guard and because of that, he leads the team in assists at 6.9 per game. When the Suns get hot on offense they are as good as any team in the league and are very tough to beat, especially with how well they are playing now.

The defense for the Suns has been solid, but not as good as it could have been due to their personnel and a defensive-minded coach like Frank Vogel. They are 13th in the league in both scoring defense and overall defensive rating, where they are allowing 113.2 points per game and have a rating of 113.7. They are also fifth in field goal percentage defense, allowing 49.3% from the field. The Suns brought in Jusuf Nurkic this offseason to anchor their defense down low and it has not disappointed. Nurkic leads the team in rebounds at 11 per game, in steals at 1.1, and is just behind the leader in blocks at 1.1 per game. Durant is the leader in blocks at 1.2. Then, with their on-ball defense six other players average at least 0.9 steals per game after Nurkic.

Why The Timberwolves Could Cover The Spread/Win

The Timberwolves have easily been the best defensive team in the NBA this season. They are the top-ranked team in the league in scoring defense and in overall defensive rating, allowing 106.5 points per game and they have a 108.4 rating up to this point on defense. The Timberwolves are first in field goal percentage defense this season allowing 45% overall and then they are seventh in three-point percentage defense, allowing 35.4% from behind the arc. Rudy Gobert has been a big difference-maker for the Timberwolves on defense this season. He leads the team in rebounds at 12.9 per game and he leads the team in blocks per game at 2.1. On the perimeter and with their on-ball defense there are four players on the Timberwolves that average at least 0.9 steals per game, with Anthony Edwards leading the team in 1.3 steals per game.

The offense for the Timberwolves needs more work, despite their defense being as good as it has been all season. They are 18th in scoring offense, averaging 113.0 points per game. They are also 10th in total field goal percentage in the NBA at 48.5%, and then they are the third-best three-point shooting team with 38.7% from behind the arc. Six Timberwolves players average at least double digits on offense with Anthony Edwards leading the way at 25.9 points per game. Mike Conley provides veteran leadership for the Timberwolves in the backcourt and leads the way with sharing the ball at 5.9 assists per game.

Final Suns-Timberwolves Prediction & Pick

These two teams just played to finish out the regular season and the Suns won and that win set this matchup up based on the standings. The Suns swept the season series against the Timberwolves, including that most recent win. Minnesota is going to come out swinging with this being a home playoff game, but the Suns have had the Timberwolves' number this season. Expect that to continue in this game where the Suns should win a very close game to go up 1-0.

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Final Suns-Timberwolves Prediction & Pick: Phoenix Suns +2 (-110)