Minnesota Timberwolves (47-36 SU, 38-42-3 ATS) vs. Houston Rockets (66-17 SU, 41-41-1 ATS)
Time: Wednesday, April 18th, 2018 9:30 PM EDT
Where: Toyota Center Houston, TX
TV: TNT
by Keith, Professional NBA Handicapper, Predictem
Odds Minnesota +525, Houston -750
Point Spread: Houston -10.5
Total Line: 212.5
The Minnesota Timberwolves will venture off to the Houston Rockets for Game Two of the Western Conference Quarterfinals. The game is set to tip-off at the Toyota Center on Wednesday, April 18th, 2018 at 9:30 PM ET. The fixture will be aired on TNT for national audiences. The series as a whole has been dominated by “Clutch City”. The Rockets have won the last seven meetings between both parties. However, Houston had to work to get past the T-Wolves in Game One. The Rockets edged out the Timberwolves by a score of 104-101. A mere one possession separated the two teams that were forecasted to be in a far different episode.
The Rockets own the best record in the NBA and come in off an 8-3 SU run in their previous eleven contests overall. The Rockets own home court advantage throughout the NBA Playoffs. Before the Game One loss, Minnesota owned a three-game winning streak to earn entry into the post-season.
Many key betting trends are worth focusing on in Game Two. First off, the Rockets are 35-7 SU in Houston. This record as mentioned previously is among the best in the league along with the Toronto Raptors. Minnesota is just 17-25 SU on the road outside of Minneapolis. At home, however, Houston is 17-24 against the spread which reflects a tendency for their home court presence to be overvalued. Game One mirrored that propensity.
What is scary about Minnesota here is that they know they can hang with the big dogs of the West. Losing by just a three-pointer on Houston’s court, the loss will be encouraging for the Timberwolves moving forward as opposed to detrimental. Moreover, some of Minnesota’s veteran leadership has the playoff experience to know how to respond to the adversity after Game One.
The Rockets could very well be likely on their way to an NBA Finals appearance and even more. Featuring the best backcourt in all of the league, the combination of point man Chris Paul and shooting guard James Harden is one that is for the history books. There have been rumors that Paul George and LeBron James will be joining the duo in the 2018-19 season. Given all the hype surrounding this outfit as the next super-team, the Rockets will get plenty of love in this market.
From the get-go, there has been a lean on the Rockets reflected in the market rise by half of a point since the open. Nevertheless, we have seen 63% of the consensus like the T-Wolves in public forums. Over/Under markets, we have seen the figure drop by 1.5 points to reflect steam on the Under.
Despite the fact the number looks like a long swim back, there is plenty of reason to back the Rockets here. Minnesota, as mentioned, hung tough with Houston on its home floor in Game One. As a result, much of the public seems intrigued here to take what appears to be a hearty helping of points. However, the proof is in the pudding here that Houston is the play. Despite Minnesota’s gutsy performance, the market is reluctant to buy into a second competitive outing by the T-Wolves. It is very likely that Harden and company were a bit rusty coming into the affair or they might have made the mistake of taking the Timberwolves lightly. Either way, Houston will be playing at the high level we are accustomed to seeing in their follow-up in Game Two. We will go ahead and side with the book here and swallow these points.
KEITHs PICK: Houston -10.5 at 5Dimes to get the best line on this game and guys if you don’t have an account here, now is the time to save money during the NBA playoffs and all season long in MLB!