The Houston Rockets are a win away from advancing to the second round of the playoffs after demolishing the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 4 on Monday, 119-100. Will the Rockets end the series this Wednesday? Or will the Timberwolves extend the series for at least another game?
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Betting Preview for Minnesota Timberwolves vs Houston Rockets NBA Western Conference Round 1 Game 5 on April 25, 2018
Where: Toyota Center
When: Wednesday, April 25, 2018, 9:30 PM EST
Line: Minnesota Timberwolves (spread) vs Houston Rockets (spread) – view all NBA lines
TV Broadcast: TNT,FSNO
Betting on the Minnesota Timberwolves (+12)
Derrick Rose was not expected to be a big factor in this series, but he’s been consistently providing solid production off the bench, even outplaying Jeff Teague in Game 4. While Teague started and scored just two points, Rose fired 17 points off the pine. Teague has to show up this Wednesday, as Minnesota is in a do-or-die scenario. Karl-Anthony Towns led the T’wolves on Monday with 22 points to go with 15 rebounds, but his numbers were not enough to cover for the 17 turnovers his team committed, leading to 19 points off turnovers for Houston. Minnesota has to be consistent from start to end against a team like Houston that will pounce on every opportunity to score in bunches and break away just like it did in Game 4, when the Rockets turned a one-point halftime lead into a 21-point advantage by the end of the third period.
Minnesota is 3-1 ATS in its last four road games.
Betting on the Houston Rockets (-12)
The Rockets definitely would like to end the series this Wednesday, and with the way they played last game, it looks as though they got this one in the bag. James Harden went 0-for-7 in the first quarter in Game 4, but finished with 36 points on the strength of a 22-point explosion in the third quarter in which the Rockets scored a total of 50 points. The Rockets are shooting just 42.9 percent in the series, but they are getting a lot of shots. Their 89.0 shot attempts per game average is third among all teams in the playoffs, while Minnesota is only jacking off 83.5. A big percentage of those Rockets are coming from deep (43.3), and though they are missing a lot, they are making a lot, too. Houston is knocking down 14.3 3-point shots per game against Minny on 32.9 percent shooting.
Houston is 9-1 SU and 5-5 ATS in its last 10 home games.
Writer’s Prediction:
Houston ends the series with a 114-109 win.
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