The Timberwolves host the Suns in the NBA playoffs on Tuesday in Game 2! The Timberwolves looked great in Game 1 and enter Game 2 with a 1-0 lead. The Suns have a chance to even the series before heading back to Phoenix. 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. They looked great in Game 1 where they dismantled the Suns 120-95 to take a 1-0 series lead. The Timberwolves have statistically been the best defensive team in the entire NBA this season and it showed up in Game 1 with only Kevin Durant showing up for Phoenix consistently. Anthony Edwards has emerged as one of the biggest stars in the NBA and was the difference for Minnesota in Game 1. The Timberwolves also dominated down low thanks to Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert. Their defense has gotten them to this point, and they have enough offense, especially between Edwards and Towns to give any team issues and it showed up in Game 1.
The Suns have been very aggressive since Matt Ishbia bought the team in early 2023. 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 with them having consistency issues and that showed in Game 1. 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, but only Durant showed up in Game 1. Booker and Beal had quiet games and the only consistent form of offense came from Durant and that needs to change for the Suns to have any chance during the rest of the series.
Here are the NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Playoffs Odds: Suns-Timberwolves Game 2 Odds
Phoenix Suns: +3
Moneyline: +130
Moneyline: -154
Over: 212.5 (-110)
Under: 212.5 (-110)
How to Watch Suns vs. Timberwolves Game 2
Time: 7:30 pm ET
TV: TNT
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why The Suns Could Cover The Spread/Win
The Suns have balance, but were slightly better on offense than 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 were also fifth in field goal percentage at 49.3% per game. In the postseason, the Suns scoring offense plummeted and after one game they were 11th out of 16 teams with 95 points and 10th in field goal percentage at 44%. 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 and Bradley Beal have split time this season playing point guard and Booker 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 were playing heading into the postseason. The Timberwolves made this whole offense uncomfortable and something needs to change heading into Game 2 because the Suns struggled a lot.
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. In the postseason, they allowed the most points between every team at 120 points and they allowed the highest field goal percentage at 50%. 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. Beal and Nurkic stepped up the most in Game 1 with Beal having three steals and Nurkic having three blocks.
Why The Timberwolves Could Cover The Spread/Win
The Timberwolves have easily been the best defensive team in the NBA this season and that showed up immediately in the postseason. They were 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. Not only did they allow 95 points, but they also allowed 44% shooting from the field and 32.1% 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. Their offense was huge for them in Game 1. Six Timberwolves players average at least double digits on offense with Anthony Edwards leading the way at 25.9 points per game and scored 33 points to lead the way. 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
The Suns swept the season series against the Timberwolves, but the postseason is different. Minnesota is going to come out swinging with this being a home playoff game and we saw it in Game 1, however, the Suns have too much talent to ignore and struggle for a second straight game even if it's on the road. The Suns' stars should bounce back and make a statement to tie the series 1-1 heading back to Phoenix for Game 3.
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Final Suns-Timberwolves Prediction & Pick: Phoenix Suns +3
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