With the regular season wrapping up this weekend, the fight for the fourth seed in the Western Conference is heating up. The Houston Rockets (51-29) will continue to stake their claim for that slot as the franchise hosts the Minnesota Timberwolves (47-33) on Friday.
Minnesota is locked into the sixth seed. The Timberwolves have rested their starters this week, relying on their bench in games against Eastern Conference foes. It’s providing opportunities for Minnesota to get their reserves valuable experience before the postseason tips off.
For Houston, Friday’s game is a must-win situation. The Rockets are tied with the Lakers for the fourth seed. Owning that position allows either Houston or Los Angeles to host the opposite team during a potential first-round matchup.
Will the Rockets continue to build on its eight-game winning streak with a victory on Friday? We’ll cover that and provide bettors with our top three player props for this NBA contest.
Houston Rockets’ Kevin Durant UNDER 25.5 Points
Age remains just a number for 37-year-old Kevin Durant. The forward continues to impress despite his age, leading the Rockets with 25.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 4.7 assists. He’s also among the team leaders in minutes played this month, playing roughly three quarters in five contests thus far.
Friday’s contest may be an opportunity for the veteran to relax. The 6-foot-11 star will likely log less than three quarters, and bettors should expect him to finish below his season average against the Timberwolves.
Minnesota Timberwolves’ Naz Reid To Record 2+ 3-PT Field Goals (-164)
Veteran Naz Reid continues to carve out an impressive role as a reserve. The 6-foot-9 center is scoring 13.6 points, grabbing 6.2 rebounds, and dishing out 2.2 assists despite starting only three games this year.
Reid is likely in line to start on Friday night for the Timberwolves. Bettors should expect the sharp-shooting big to take multiple long-range shots against the Rockets, and Reid will hit at least two of those attempts to cover this three-point shooting prop line.
Houston Rockets’ Alperen Sengun UNDER 28.5 Pts + Reb
Houston hasn’t had the luxury of resting on its laurels heading into the postseason, meaning the Rockets are playing their starters. It’s one reason why Alperen Sengun continues to play more than 30 minutes each night.
The 6-foot-11 center has been dominant in his past two outings, finishing with double-digit rebounds against the 76ers and Suns. In neither instance, however, has the Turkish-born center eclipsed his combination prop line of 28.5 total. That trend continues on Friday for Sengun.
| Wednesday, October 21 at 8:40 PM | Spread | Money | Total |
| Dallas Mavericks |  +8.5 (-118) |  +255 |  O 227.5 (-110) |
| Houston Rockets | -8.5 (-105) | -300 | U 226.5 (-109) |
Best Bet: Houston (-11)
The Rockets haven’t lost since a March 25th Road contest against the Timberwolves. That was a 110-108 overtime contest that showed how dangerous this Minnesota squad can be in the Western Conference.
Tonight’s version of the Timberwolves’ roster does not resemble the one that had a dominant home performance. That’s why bettors should take the Rockets to win this contest in blowout fashion, easily covering their 11-point favorite status.
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