NBA Pick: Suns ML (+100) at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
Top-rated sportsbooks have released their NBA odds for Game 1 between the Suns and Timberwolves.
For your best bets, I will recommend investing in the Suns.
If you’re considering placing bets on these matchups, continue reading for a detailed analysis.
Phoenix Suns vs. Minnesota Timberwolves
Saturday, April 20, 2024 – 03:30 PM ET at Target Center
Finding the Right Lineup
Phoenix struggled in the start of the season because it took time to find the right lineup of guys. The right lineup is its current starting lineup, consisting of Devin Booker, Bradley Beal, Grayson Allen, Kevin Durant and Jusuf Nurkic.
Compared with the other lineups that amassed a data sample of 200+ minutes together, these five players owned the fourth-best offensive rating and ninth-best overall rating.
When Phoenix started giving this group of guys a lot of minutes together, then it became one of the very best teams, as measured by win percentage.
Phoenix’s High-Level Offense
The Suns’ offense is simply too good for Minnesota.
The Suns blew past 120 points in two of their regular season meetings with Minnesota, which is a crucial point because Minnesota, a rather offensively challenged team, has gone 8-20 when allowing 111 or more points.
Phoenix’s Mid-Range Prowess
The Suns are especially hard for Minnesota’s defense to stop because they love attacking the mid-range, which is just the space in which Minnesota’s defense is vulnerable. The Timberwolves focus on protecting the rim well and running teams off the three-point line.
Devin Booker and Kevin Durant love this matchup because they are well-known for their mid-range prowess.
Phoenix’s stars are going to thrive, but so will the offense as a whole. Overall, the Suns make the most field goals per game in the 10-14-feet and 15-19-feet spaces between the basket and the three-point line.
Minnesota’s Unreliable Offense
Minnesota will lack experienced scorers that it can rely on. Karl-Anthony Towns has built a negative playoff reputation for himself because his efficiency and overall productivity plummet at this time of year. Anthony Edwards will be the only off-the-dribble threat on the Timberwolves, and he won’t get much help.
Phoenix’s defense is greatly improved, ranking fourth in defensive rating since April, and won’t be deterred by Minnesota’s meager offensive quality.
Their defensive improvement explains why the Suns still won by ten in the one game when they failed to reach 100 points.
NBA Pick: Suns ML (+100) at BetOnline
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.
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