Oklahoma City looks untouchable right now.
The Thunder are a prohibitive -340 (77.27 percent implied) to win the NBA Championship, and they still need six wins to get there.
The Thunder have dominated Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves through two games, winning by double digits in each of their two wins at home.
Now heading to the Upper Midwest, Oklahoma City hopes to see its defensive prowess continue to translate over on the road.
The Thunder have allowed Edwards to shoot just 4-for-17 from beyond the arc in two games on the road, a number that will have to improve dramatically for the Timberwolves to have any chance in this one.
Mark Daigneault’s group comes in as 2.5-point favorites on DraftKings on the road after opening in the 4.5-point range, so there’s some optimism that the Timberwolves can win at home.
Minnesota still faces an uphill battle if it wants to come home with a win on Saturday, though. Their bench players are shooting a horrific 22.7 percent from 3-point range.
The old cliche has been that role players play better at home, but what kind of improvement is realistic against this defense?
Oklahoma City has the best defensive rating (101.2) in the NBA playoffs since the 2015-16 San Antonio Spurs, a team that featured Tim Duncan’s final year and budding superstar Kawhi Leonard.
This defensive team is special, and it has felt like the Timberwolves are losing their composure with each blow of the whistle by officials when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander embellishes contact from defenders.
The Timberwolves will surely look to shoot a ton of 3-pointers in an attempt to get their role players going and play the math game, similar to how the Pacers do.
Look for Jaden McDaniels to continue shooting 3-pointers in bunches and bet his 3+ 3-pointers prop (+340), which he did on the road in Game 2.
Betting on the NBA?
But don’t expect that to lead to victories.
PICK: McDaniels Over 3 Three-pointers (+340, FanDuel) | Thunder -2.5 (-110, Bet365)
Why Trust New York Post Betting
Erich Richter is a brazilian jiu-jitsu blue belt but he has a black belt in MMA betting. During the football season he’s showcased massive profits at The Post in the player prop market the last two seasons. While constantly betting long shots, his return on investment is 30.15 percent since 2022.
