Filip Tomic
With the series opener now in the books and the OKC Thunder holding a 1-0 lead, pressure is on Minnesota to respond as they look to avoid going down 2-0 before the series shifts to Target Center for the Western Conference Finals. You can catch Game 2 of this series tonight with tip-off set for 8:30 pm ET on ESPN. Don’t miss our NBA picks for Timberwolves vs Thunder, along with every game of the NBA Conference Finals. But for now, let’s take a look at my Timberwolves vs Thunder first basket best bet.
Timberwolves vs Thunder first basket best bet: Julius Randle (+650)
Odds available at FanDuel Sportsbook at time of publishing.
Aside from Julius Randle, Game 1 was a performance to forget offensively for most of the Timberwolves players. With 28 points Randle led the team in scoring and it took him only 13 shots to get there. He also made 5 of his 6 three-pointers in that game. I’m looking at Randle to once again have an impact on Thursday’s game with another hot start.
Rudy Gobert was able to win the opening tip on Tuesday against Chet Holmgren, helping Jaden McDaniels drain a 27-foot three-pointer to start the game. It was the first time a Timberwolves player won the tip this season after OKC went 4-0 in the 4 regular-season meetings. With all the pressure in Game 2 being on the T-Wolves, I expect their sense of urgency to be far greater at the beginning of this game which should help Gobert win the tip again.
Only Anthony Edwards (15.9%) has attempted more first shots this season than Randle (14.1%) on this Minnesota roster. But what gives Randle the edge here is the fact that he’s made 15.4% of the team’s 1st baskets this year, which leads all Minnesota players by 4.4%. Over their last 10 games, Randle has scored the first basket 3 times, which leads the team. We can only hope he enters Game 2 with a similar mindset to the one we saw in the series opener. If that’s the case then there’s a solid chance of Randle making the first basket here.
Get the best odds on our Julius Randle first basket pick with FanDuel Sportsbook, where new users can click here to sign up and receive $200 in bonus bets instantly when they make their first $5 bet — win or lose!
