Mavericks vs. Timberwolves player props: 3 picks for Game 1 matchup

The Western Conference Finals will tip off this evening from the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota as the hometown Timberwolves are set to square off with the Mavericks. Each team has been ultra-impressive in the first two rounds of the Playoffs, and now find themselves four wins away from the NBA Finals.

Before the series gets started this evening, let’s detail three of the best prop bets for Timberwolves vs. Mavericks in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.

After an exciting start to the 2024 NBA Playoffs, we have now reached the Conference Finals as four teams remain in contention for the title of NBA Champions. For the Western Conference, the matchup features two young teams the Minnesota Timberwolves and Dallas Mavericks.

The Timberwolves enter this series as the higher-seeded team, and will host the first two games as a result (Minnesota would also host a potential Game 5 and 7).

While this might not be the Western Conference Finals matchup that many expected, each of these teams has been incredibly impressive in these Playoffs and certainly deserves to be at this stage. The Timberwolves made quick work of their first-round matchup vs. the Phoenix Suns, sweeping 4-0 and moving on to Round 2.

There, Minnesota faced the defending champion Denver Nuggets and prevailed in a back-and-forth series that required a commanding Game 7 win in Denver.

For the Mavericks, they faced a common foe in Round 1 of the Playoffs as they dispatched the Los Angeles Clippers in six games.

If the Timberwolves are to win this series, they are likely going to need more top-end offensive output from their young superstar, Anthony Edwards. Ant-Man has been elite in this playoff run, averaging 28.9 points per game on 50.4% field goals and 39.8% three-point field goals.

Edwards scored at least 27 points three times in the Round 2 series vs. the Nuggets, including a 44-point outburst in Game 4. Now facing a much more favorable matchup in the Dallas Mavericks, I’m expecting Edwards to get out to a fast start in this series from a scoring perspective. With his points prop total set at 27.5, I’ll take the over here.

So far in this postseason, the Mavericks superstar has been just a touch off his best from a scoring standpoint, as he is shooting just 42.3% from the field and 30.1% from three-point range in these Playoffs. But as Doncic struggles with his efficiency, he has still been excellent as a playmaker, putting up 9.1 assists per game in the postseason.

In his last three games, Doncic has tallied 11, 10, and 11 assists, showcasing his innate ability to set up his teammates. Luka is likely to be guarded by Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels for large stretches of this series, two high-level wing defenders.

I would expect them to present decent resistance to Luka’s scoring, and as a result we could see Doncic opt to take on more of a playmaker role. His assists prop is sitting at 8.5 for Game 1 and I like Luka to go over that number.

I’m looking at KAT’s rebound props in this one, where he can be bet with plus-money value to go over 8.5 boards.