NBA Player Props For Mavericks vs. Timberwolves | Game 1

If Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals is anything like yesterday’s Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Boston Celtics and the Indiana Pacers, then we are in for a treat.

Tonight, the Dallas Mavericks and Minnesota Timberwolves go head-to-head at 8:30 pm ET on TNT.

TNT’s old slogan used to be “TNT Knows Drama”, and after yesterday’s overtime-win for the Celtics, basketball viewers everywhere are anticipating some more drama in the Land of 1,000 Lakes.

Much like other programs on TNT, the Mavericks and Timberwolves bring their own cast of characters to wildly entertain the television-viewing audience.

Starring in the Minnesota starting five are Anthony Edwards, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Rudy Gobert.
Edwards has been the leading man for the T-Wolves this postseason, averaging 28.9 points in 11 playoff games.

Dallas may be the top team in the “Lone Star State”, but they are not a “Lone Star” team, being led by the dynamic duo of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.

Doncic frequently steals the show, collecting six triple-doubles in his 12 playoff appearances, while Irving continues to excel in a supporting role.

Which players will rise to the occasion in Game 1? Which players will crumble under the pressure? Which players will make a surprising cameo?

Tune in tonight on TNT to find out.

Now, let’s take a deeper look at some player props, with the best odds of course.

Luka Doncic – PG, Dallas Mavericks

Luka Doncic is averaging 27.3 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 9.1 assists per game in the playoffs.

That’s 46.1 points, rebounds, and assists combined per appearance.

Interestingly, Doncic missed two of the Mavs’ four games against the Timberwolves in the regular season, but here’s how the guard fared in both of his matchups against Minnesota this season.

Doncic vs. MIN	Points	Rebounds	Assists	FG% (FGM-FGA)
Dec. 14th	39	6	13	55.6% (15-27)
Jan. 7th	34	6	8	46.2% (12-26)

In both games, Doncic played exactly 39 minutes, and in each contest he recorded more points than his season average (33.9), and attempted more shots than his season average (22.3).

Against the Timberwolves, the No. 1 defense in the NBA based on points allowed per game (106.5), Doncic will carry a heavy workload.

Minnesota allowed an average of 5.8 rebounds and 8.4 assists per game to opposing point guards in the regular season, and considering Doncic’s impending workload, Dallas’ point guard should easily usurp those numbers.

Doncic is going to fill the box score, and at the end of regulation, he should have well over 50 combined points, rebounds, and assists.

Pick: Doncic – OVER 46.5 Pts+Reb+Ast

Best Odds: (-111) FanDuel

Kyrie Irving – SG, Dallas Mavericks

Kyrie Irving should see plenty of time on the floor as well, and that should only help Doncic collect big numbers.

For Irving, he was up-and-down in the scoring department in the Mavs’ six-game series against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Irving tallied an average of 26.5 points against the Los Angeles Clippers in six games in Round 1 of the playoffs, but averaged just 15.7 points in six games of the Western Conference Semifinals against OKC.

It’s time for a bounce back series for Irving.

Similarly to Doncic, Irving has only played against the Timberwolves once this season, but in that contest, Irving collected 35 points on 14-of-27 shooting back on January 7th.

The defensive matchup against Anthony Edwards will be somewhat difficult for Irving, but based purely on the guard’s potential shot total and his needs to provide offense, his 21.5-point prop could hit the over.

The Timberwolves’ defense allowed only 18.9 points per game to opposing shooting guards in the regular season, but not every shooting guard is as offensively capable as Irving.

A back-and-forth shooting extravaganza against Anthony Edwards is what the people pay to see.

Pick: Irving – OVER 21.5 Points

Best Odds: (-115) BetMGM

Anthony Edwards – SG, Minnesota Timberwolves

Edwards has recorded five 30+ point games in the playoffs, three of those performances have been 40+ points, and against the Mavs’ defense, Edwards could add to his big game totals.

Dallas’ defense allowed an average of 32.2 points per game to shooting guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in their previous series, and Edwards has the scoring touch to duplicate that points average.

In four meetings against the Mavericks in the regular season, Edwards’ scoring was all-or-nothing.

Here’s a look at Edwards’ four games against Dallas this season.

Edwards vs. DAL	Points	FG% (FGM-FGA)	Minutes
Dec. 14th	9	15.8% (3-19)	35
Dec. 28th	44	52.2% (12-23)	38
Jan. 7th	36	51.9% (14-27)	37
Jan. 31st	9	60% (3-5)	30

Looking at Edwards’ scoring numbers against the Mavs, we can see that he produced a clunker in mid-December, and in late January, he only fired five shots in 30 minutes – which came in a 121-87 Timberwolves crushing victory.

In the other two contests, Edwards knocked down over 50% of his shots, which is better than his season average of 46.1% from the field.

Two of Minnesota’s losses to the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Semifinals saw Edwards record less than 20 points.

The T-Wolves defense has been carrying this squad, but when it comes to offense, if Edwards crumbles, then Minnesota could crumble.

Pick: Edwards – OVER 28.5 Points

Best Odds: (-104) FanDuel

Jaden McDaniels – SF, Minnesota Timberwolves

In the final two games against the Nuggets, T-Wolves’ small forward Jaden McDaniels knocked down 20+ points in both games.

Dallas allowed 22.6 points per game to small forwards in the regular season, and in four games against the Mavericks, McDaniels scored 11 or more points three times.

Appropriately, McDaniels points prop sits at 10.5 points tonight.

In their previous series, Dallas allowed an average of 17 points per game to Oklahoma City’s small forward Jalen Williams, and while McDaniels is a defensive-first forward, and probably not as offensively talented as Williams, he can still chip in offensively against the Mavericks’ defense.

McDaniels has scored 10 or more points in six of 11 playoff games, and now, he may have his best offensive matchup of the postseason.

Pick: McDaniels – OVER 10.5 Points

Best Odds: (-105) DraftKings