The Wolves are coming off a long stretch of rest after dominating the Lakers, while Golden State looks to ride their Game 7 momentum into Minnesota for Game 1 tonight.
Anthony Edwards has beaten LeBron and KD over the last two postseasons, and now, he has the chance to defeat Steph Curry with the best Minnesota team he has been a part of. After three away underdogs won Game 1s, expect Golden State and Steve Kerr to keep this one in arm’s reach.
Live player props data coming soon for Naz Reid.
Naz Reid (MIN) OVER 10.5 Points
Since joining the Wolves' main rotation in the postseason, Naz Reid has put his stamp on each Game 1, averaging 16.5 PPG in four instances, including a 23-point outing against Los Angeles a few weeks ago.
Reid is the best bench big man in the entire postseason, scoring at all three levels while providing a more versatile look in comparison to Rudy Gobert down low. Reid followed up that 23-point performance with a few lower-scoring games against the Lakers.
However, against a Golden State team that just went to 7 games against the feisty Rockets, I think this Minnesota offense will click early with ANT acting as a playmaker before scoring.
Naz played well against this Warriors squad in ‘24-25, scoring 12.5 PPG on 43% from the field and 36% from beyond the arc. Expect him to produce another solid performance off the bench in Game 1.
Live player props data coming soon for Stephen Curry.
Stephen Curry (GSW) OVER 5.5 Assists
Steph Curry will be praising the lord that he doesn’t have to face Amen Thompson tonight, who hounded him all series long. Curry was visibly slower than usual and couldn’t escape the double-teams like his old self.
Still, he was able to be an impactful scorer and playmaker as he averaged 24 PPG and nearly 6 dimes per game in that 7-game slugfest. Curry averaged 7.5 APG against Minnesota this season in four contests while hitting this prop in their last three matchups.
Minnesota will deploy Jaden McDaniels on Steph, but most likely will not send the double unless he gets hot from beyond the arc. With that being said, Steph’s assist prop is one to bet this series, especially because of that lost step. McDaniels at 6’9 should use the Amen Thompson hounding method, which will turn the former MVP into a passer early on in this one.
Best Bet: Warriors +6.5
After all three away teams won Game 1 of their respective semifinal series, the Golden State Warriors could become the 4th team to complete this feat on Tuesday night. At +6.5, Golden State has some great value here.
They beat Minnesota in 3 of 4 games this season, all before the Jimmy Butler trade. Steve Kerr, in my eyes, is still the best coach in the NBA and knows what to do against his Team USA partner, Anthony Edwards. In the three Minnesota losses to Golden State, ANT had 12 total turnovers.
This is a key trend to watch as the Warriors have not been turning the ball over, while forcing a boatload since the Butler acquisition. This should be a 6 or 7-game series, and I expect the Warriors to take the Game 7 momentum into tonight in a close one.
