Road to the NBA Finals: NBA Playoff Predictions, Picks Timberwolves vs. Spurs Game 5 on May 12

For the first time since Game 7 between the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers in the first round, we have a standalone NBA playoff game on Tuesday night.

Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs are favored at home in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Minnesota Timberwolves and Anthony Edwards, who won Game 4 on their home floor on Sunday to even the series.

The Wolves stole Game 1 in San Antonio, but can they pull off another upset to set up a potential close-out game at home?

The Spurs are No. 2 in the odds to win the Finals, so oddsmakers are expecting them to win this best-of-three over the next week to advance to the Western Conference Finals.

This postseason, I’m betting on every game in SI Betting’s “Road to the NBA Finals” challenge, and the rules are very simple:

Bet on every game through the play-in tournament and playoffs
Bet can be a spread, total, moneyline, player prop or game prop
ENJOY POSTSEASON BASKETBALL!

Here’s a breakdown of my favorite bet for Game 5 between the Timberwolves and Spurs on Tuesday night.

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Timberwolves +10.5 (-110) vs. San Antonio Spurs

Can the Timberwolves at least cover in Game 5?

Minnesota already has a win under its belt in San Antonio, and it held off the Spurs at home in Game 4 for a huge win to even this series. San Antonio may be the better team in this series, but the numbers certainly favor San Antonio much more because of the 38-point win in Game 2.

Anthony Edwards and Ayo Dosunmu returning to the starting lineup certainly raises Minnesota’s ceiling, and I’m not going to underestimate the importance of this team making back-to-back Western Conference Finals appearances. The Spurs don’t have nearly as much experience, and Wemby’s Flagrant 2 in Game 4 could be a turning point in this series.

Not only did it help the Wolves tie things up, but it certainly has created some sort of bad blood between these teams – something that clearly helped Minnesota in the Denver series.

The Wolves remain one of the better defensive teams in the league, and Edwards’ recent surge (32 points in Game 3, 36 in Game 4) makes them a much more formidable opponent than when he was on a minutes limit.

Game 2 was a complete throwaway game from Minnesota after it stole Game 1, and it already has either won or kept the other three games within 10 points. I’m buying the Wolves to at least cover on Tuesday night.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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