Mavericks vs Timberwolves Game 1 Picks, Odds | Western Conference Finals

The NBA Playoffs continues with one standalone matchup on Wednesday night, but it's going to be a good one, as Mavericks vs. Timberwolves Game 1 takes center stage at 8:30 p.m. ET on TNT.

The Wolves are 4-point favorites on the spread in Wednesday's contest contest, while the total is set at over/under 207 total points at DraftKings.

Here's everything you need to know about Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals between the Mavericks and T-Wolves -- the latest betting odds, as well as our expert picks and prediction for the NBA Playoffs on Wednesday, May 22.

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Mavericks vs Timberwolves Odds

DAL @ MIN Odds

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Mavericks vs Timberwolves Picks & Prediction

The stage is officially set for this year’s Western Conference Finals between the Timberwolves and Mavericks. However, for all intents and purposes, it seems like Minnesota has already been crowned king of the conference after taking down the defending champs in Game 7 of the previous round, but I’ll be somebody to pump the brakes a little bit…

There’s no denying the fact that Minnesota appears to be the top dog after defeating Denver in the Western Conference Semis. With that in mind, however, the Wolves posed a particularly difficult matchup for a Nuggets team that tends to run its offense through the center position. Nikola Jokic is the focal point of the Nuggets offense, and against Minnesota, playing through Jokic oftentimes puts the ball in arm’s length of 4-time Defensive Player of the Year, Rudy Gobert, and while Karl-Anthony Towns isn’t particularly known for lockdown defense, the tag-team of the two down low (plus Naz Reid) is arguably the toughest possible matchup for Jokic – and it worked as Kryptonite against the reigning MVP all year, as the Wolves posted a perfect 4-0 record against Denver during the regular season, before eventually defeating them in the playoffs.

Dallas is a totally different beast though, and one that Minnesota’s defense isn’t quite as perfectly suited to hunt. The Mavericks are led by a pair of superstar guards in Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. So now, instead of Gobert and Towns drawing the heliocentric matchup (Minnesota’s strength), the pressure to defend shifts to the Wolves’ backcourt as they try to contain the Mavs’ superstar duo. Jaden McDaniels and Mike Conley should be able to shoulder the bulk of the load on the perimeter defensively for Minnesota, but I still think Doncic and Irving will be able to get to their spots and switch into enough exploitable matchups throughout this series – or, at least enough to score more than 97.6 points per game and shoot better than 35% from 3-point range like Denver did in the previous round.

The NBA had a little bit of a big-man renaissance in recent years, with guys such as Jokic, Antetokounmpo, and Embiid winning MVPs and/or championships, plus some exciting young talent on the rise in Victor Wembanyama. So, the Wolves realized that if they wanted to hold onto KAT and win in this era, they needed to get some help down low defensively. But, it led to a quick pull of the trigger and huge overcorrection, as the Wolves acquired an annual DPOY candidate that plays the same position as him, and while Gobert may be enough to patch the leak in many instances, now they lack in other departments, especially out on the perimeter, which leaves them a little bit vulnerable heading into a seven-game set against a dynamic duo of scoring guards like Luka and Kyrie.

For a brief moment in time, with no superstar 7-footer left for Minnesota to vanquish, we are going to learn a ton about the overall sustainability of the Towns-Gobert combo in this series. Personally, I think the better value lies with the underdogs, but this a great matchup, and both sides have different strengths that could ultimately swing the outcome of the series. I’ll take the points with Dallas in Game 1.

Pick: Mavericks +4 (-110)

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Mavericks vs Timberwolves Game Time & TV Channel

Date: Wednesday, May 22
Matchup: Southwest vs. Northwest
Venue: Target Center
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Time-TV: TNT, 8:30 p.m. ET

Mavericks vs Timberwolves Betting Stats

3) Minnesota Timberwolves
(3rd Place, Northwest)

  • Odds to Win Finals: +270
  • Odds to Win Conference: -170
  • SU: 56-26
  • ATS: 41-41
  • O/U: 41-40-1
  • PPG: 113.0
  • OPPG: 106.5

Click this link for the latest betting trends and market movements for Timberwolves vs. Mavericks from VegasInsider Senior Reporter Patrick Everson!

5) Dallas Mavericks
(1st Place, Southwest)

  • Odds to Win Finals: +500
  • Odds to Win Conference: +138
  • SU: 50-32
  • ATS: 48-34
  • O/U: 36-45-1
  • PPG: 117.9
  • OPPG: 115.6

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