Wolves vs. Thunder Game 5 Betting Odds, Best Bets: Can OKC Close Out WCF?

Despite two strong performances at home in Games 3 and 4 of the Western Conference Finals, the Minnesota Timberwolves head to Oklahoma City on Wednesday night in a 3-1 hole that feels insurmountable.

The Wolves nearly evened the series on Monday night in Minneapolis, but they came up just short, losing Game 4 128-126 despite shooting 51.2 percent from the floor (43.9 percent from 3).

For the third time in four games in this series, Minnesota failed to take care of the basketball, as its 21 turnovers (plus the 19 offensive rebounds it allowed) were too much to overcome on a huge night by the Thunder’s big three of MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (40 points, 9 rebounds, 10 assists), Jalen Williams (34 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists) and Chet Holmgren (21 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist).

To keep this series alive tonight, the Wolves will need another strong offensive performance, and they’ll also have to come up with defensive answers for SGA and Williams, who are averaging just under 54 total points per game in this series.

Wolves vs. Thunder Game 5 Betting Odds

How to Watch Timberwolves vs. Thunder Game 5

• Tipoff: 8:30 p.m. ET
• Channel: ESPN

Wolves vs. Thunder Series Winner Odds (as of May 28)

The Thunder entered the Western Conference Finals as massive favorites over the Timberwolves, and they’ve looked the part through four games.

At this point, Minnesota coming back from down 3-1 to win this series would mark one of the most shocking comebacks in NBA playoff history.

• DraftKings: OKC -4000; MIN +1700
• FanDuel: OKC -7000; MIN +2000
• bet365: OKC -6600; MIN +1650

Wolves vs. Thunder Game 5 Pick, Analysis

The Wolves have played too well for us to rule out a solid showing by them tonight, but Game 4 looked like a backbreaker, as SGA and Williams had an answer for everything Minnesota threw at them.

Following a 128-126 shootout in Game 4 just two days ago, it’s easy to envision tonight’s game getting out of hand for OKC, which routed the banged up Nuggets 125-93 in Game 7 of the Western Conference Semifinals.

The Timberwolves supporting cast deserves a ton of credit for stepping up in Game 4 on a quiet night by Anthony Edwards, as Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Donte DiVincenzo and Jaden McDaniels combined for 66 points on 13-for-22 3-point shooting.

It’s hard to see those three shooting the ball that well again in Game 5, though, and even if Edwards goes off, I don’t see how Minnesota can keep up with the Thunder for four quarters, especially if OKC is once again able to force a bunch of turnovers.

Aside from their Game 3 no-show in Minnesota, the Thunder have been able to consistently score a ton of points on the Wolves (at least 114 in each of Games 1, 2 and 4), and I expect them to once again light up the scoreboard tonight.

Timberwolves vs. Thunder Game 5 Best Bets

Let’s go with the Thunder to not just win, but win big.

While Minnesota is a much different team than the Nuggets, Game 5 of this series (like Game 7 of the WCSF) has the feel of one that could get away from the underdogs, which makes OKC a tempting bet to cover a big alt spread.

Remember, in addition to their two wins in this series by 15-plus points (114-88 in Game 1, 118-103 in Game 2), the Thunder also beat the Nuggets by 30 twice (149-106 in Game 2, 125-93 in Game 7), and they won multiple games vs. Memphis in the first round by at least 19 points.

• Thunder -8.5 (-110 at bet365) — 1 unit
• Thunder TT Over 114.5 (-112 at FanDuel) — 1 unit
• Thunder alt spread -14.5 (+200 at FD) — 0.5 units
• Thunder -19.5 (+380 at FD) — 0.25 units

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