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Minnesota Timberwolves vs Phoenix Suns predictions, odds: Who wins NBA playoff series?
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- Minnesota Timberwolves vs Phoenix Suns predictions, odds: Who wins NBA playoff series?
The No. 3-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves will face the No. 6 Phoenix Suns in the first round of the NBA playoffs .
Game 1 of the best-of-seven series is set for 2:30 p.m. Saturday in Minneapolis (ESPN). Phoenix swept the regular-season series, 3-0, and won those games by an average of 15.7 points.
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Minnesota (56-26) improved by 14 wins compared to last season. It also saw the return of Karl-Anthony Towns on April 12 after he missed 18 games due to a knee injury.
Phoenix (49-33) spent most of this season in the play-in race. But the Suns won seven of their final 10 games, all of which were against teams above .500, to secure the sixth seed.
Here's a look at how the first-round matchup is projected to play out:
Play-in tournament picks : Lakers at Pelicans | Warriors at Kings | Heat at 76ers | Hawks at Bulls | Kings at Pelicans | Bulls at Heat
First-round picks : Celtics vs Heat | Knicks vs 76ers | Bucks vs Pacers | Cavaliers vs Magic | Thunder vs Pelicans | Nuggets vs Lakers | Timberwolves vs Suns | Clippers vs Mavericks
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The Oklahoman: Phoenix, 4-2
Justin Martinez writes: "Minnesota boasts a league-best defensive rating of 108.4, but it'll have its hands full against Phoenix. Rudy Gobert 's switchability on the perimeter will be tested, and so will Towns' health. Minnesota has been the more consistent team this season, but Phoenix caught fire at the right time and is my pick to win the series."
DraftKings : Phoenix (-115) is the favorite to win the first-round playoff series vs Minnesota
Phoenix opened as a -115 favorite to beat Minnesota in the first round of the playoffs.
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Series winner:Phoenix -115 | Minnesota +105
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Win in 4:Phoenix +1000 | Minnesota +1400
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Win in 5:Phoenix +750 | Minnesota +650
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Win in 6:Phoenix +320 | Minnesota +650
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Win in 7:Phoenix +600 | Minnesota +350
More: OKC Thunder clinches top seed in West for NBA Playoffs with rout of Dallas Mavericks
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BetMGM : Minnesota (-2.5) is favored to beat Phoenix in Game 1
Minnesota is a 2.5-point favorite to win Game 1 on Saturday.
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Over/under:214.5
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Moneyline:Minnesota -130 | Phoenix +105
ESPN : Minnesota has a 64.9% chance to beat Phoenix in Game 1
ESPN gives Minnesota a 64.9% chance to beat Phoenix in Game 1 on Saturday.
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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Minnesota Timberwolves vs Phoenix Suns: Picks, odds for NBA Playoffs
