Excitement is through the roof in the Land of 10,000 Lakes as the Minnesota Timberwolves are rampaging through the Western Conference Playoffs.
After dominating the Phoenix Suns en route to a 4-0 opening-series sweep, the T-wolves have stayed hot, winning the first two games of their NBA Western Conference Semifinals series against the reigning champion Denver Nuggets.
With the series shifting back to Minnesota for a pair of games, the Wolves are now two home wins away from the franchise's first conference finals birth since 2004.
Minnesota entered the Playoffs as the No. 3 seed in the west, thought by many to advance to this round before ultimately falling to the favored Nuggets.
Not so fast.
With a surprising 2-0 series lead heading back home, Minnesota looks primed to advance to the next round and have climbed to the odds-on favorite to win the Western Conference.
Let's go back through the recent timeline and detail what's ahead of the Timberwolves as they look to take a 3-0 stranglehold in the conference semi-finals.
Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Denver Nuggets: Game 3 odds, point spread
Through the first two games of the series, the Minnesota Timberwolves have absolutely dominated the Denver Nuggets. The Wolves took the opening game of the series 106-99, though the contest was not as competitive as the final box score might suggest.
Minnesota's young superstar Anthony Edwards was simply fantastic, scoring 43 points en route to stealing home-court advantage and the early series lead.
While Game 1 was an impressive statement win, the Timberwolves followed it up with an even more dominant performance in Game 2, a result that stunned the NBA landscape.
Minnesota took Game 2 by a final margin of 26 points (106-80) and led by 30+ points throughout multiple points of the contest, securing a 2-0 stranglehold on the series as it shifts back to the Target Center in Minneapolis for Games 3 and 4.
The big win in Game 2 was made even more impressive when you consider the Timberwolves did it without reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Rudy Gobert, who missed the contest to be present for the birth of his first child.
Gobert will be back in the lineup for Game 3 as the Wolves look to move into a checkmate position and punch their ticket to the Western Conference Finals.
Before Game 3 gets underway, let's check out the odds per DraftKings Sportsbook.
NBA Western Conference Semifinals Game 3 odds
Minnesota Timberwolves odds for Game 3 of the Western Conference Semifinals are very similar across most major sportsbooks, however, there is still an opportunity for prospective Wolves bettors to "shop" for the best odds price.
Here is the best value for Timberwolves vs. Nuggets betting lines:
- Best Moneyline Odds: FanDuel Sportsbook has Timberwolves Moneyline at (-190)
- Best Point Spread Odds: DraftKings Sportsbook has Timberwolves -4.5 at (-108)
NBA Finals Odds: Where do the Timberwolves rank?
After powering through the first round of the Playoffs and now storming out to a 2-0 series lead over the Nuggets in the conference semifinals, the Timberwolves are looking like a legitimate threat to win the NBA Championship.
This is certainly backed by the oddsmakers, as Minnesota now boasts the second shortest odds to win the NBA Finals at +320 on DraftKings Sportsbook, trailing only the Boston Celtics.
On other platforms like Caesars Sportsbook, the Timberwolves' odds to win the Championship are as low as +260.
This is certainly warranted, as Minnesota looks to be in pole position to advance to the Western Conference Finals.
There, they would await the winner of the Dallas Mavericks vs. Oklahoma City Thunder Series. To put things in perspective, DraftKings lists the Thunder's odds to win the Championship at +650, and the Mavericks at +1800.
No matter who the Timberwolves face if and when they reach Round 3, the oddsmakers appear to heavily favor Minnesota to advance to the franchise's first-ever NBA Finals.