On Friday at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, the Phoenix Suns and Minnesota Timberwolves will play Game 3 of their first-round playoff series in an effort to reclaim the series. This is a new position for the Suns as they start the game down 0–2 in the 2024 NBA playoffs best-of-seven series. They have advanced to the Western Conference Finals the last two seasons, and they notably made it to the NBA Finals three years ago before falling to the Bucks. The Timberwolves are likewise in a strange place. They are ahead 2-0 in a series for only the second time in the franchise’s history.
The game starts at 10:30 p.m. ET. The most recent Suns vs. Timberwolves odds have Phoenix as a 5.5-point favorite, and the total points scored over/under is 208. Make sure to check out SportsLine’s reliable computer model’s NBA predictions and betting recommendations before making any Timberwolves vs. Suns selections or predictions.
Over the previous five plus seasons, the SportsLine Projection Model, which simulates every NBA game 10,000 times, has produced well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA choices. With a scorching 90-58 record on all of the top-rated NBA choices this season, the model is leading into the second week of the 2024 NBA playoffs and has returned more than $2,800. Anyone using the approach has seen significant profits.
The model has now locked in its predictions and choices for the Suns vs. Timberwolves game. To see the selections, go to SportsLine right now. The following are a few NBA betting trends and odds for the Timberwolves vs. Suns game:
•Phoenix -5.5 for the Suns vs. Timberwolves spread
•Suns vs. Timberwolves: 208 points is the over/under.
•Money line for the Suns versus. Timberwolves: Phoenix -254, Minnesota +204
•MIN: During the regular season, the Timberwolves lead the NBA in defensive efficiency (108.4 points per 100 possessions).
•PHX: Kevin Durant scored 27.1 points per game, good for seventh place in the league.
•Suns vs. Timberwolves predictions: Visit SportsLine for predictions
Why the Suns are able to
Phoenix knows it controlled Minnesota throughout the regular season, winning all three of the clubs’ meetings, despite the outcomes of the first two games of the series. The Suns won the three games by a combined margin of 15.7 points. This included a 19-point triumph against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the regular season finale, when a win would have guaranteed the Timberwolves the top spot in the Western Conference playoffs.
Kevin Durant is still a top-tier scorer, too. During the regular season, the 14-time NBA All-Star scored 27.1 points per game, seventh in the league. He is shooting 50.0% from outside the 3-point line and averaging 24.5 points through the first two postseason games.
Why the Timberwolves are able to
Thus far in this series, Minnesota has done a fantastic job of enclosing Devin Booker. Throughout the regular season, the four-time NBA All-Star scored 27.1 points per game, sixth in the NBA. But the Timberwolves have only allowed him to score 19.0 points per game through two games, shooting 37.9% from the field and 25.0% from three-point range.
Minnesota may also play a Phoenix club that may be without one of its best players, Grayson Allen. The shooting guard Allen was forced to sit out the remainder of Game 2 after aggravating an ankle ailment early in the third quarter. It is doubtful whether he will participate in Game 3. The Suns would suffer a big loss if he is unable to travel, since he led the NBA in 3-point percentage (46.1) in the regular season.
How to choose the Suns vs the Timberwolves
According to SportsLine’s model, the teams will score a combined 219 points, with a bias towards the over. According to the model, one side of the spread hits around 70% of the time.
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