Kevin Durant is set to rejoin the Phoenix Suns when they take on the Minnesota Timberwolves, and frankly, the NBA landscape may never be the same.
Indeed, after missing 10 games with an ankle injury, KD is merely listed as questionable heading into Wednesday night. We're not buying that uncertainty. Just look at the latest betting odds to win the NBA Finals. The Suns have skyrocketed up the ladder of potential champions. That type of movement doesn't take place unless KD's return to the rotation is a given.
Then again, linemakers aren't exactly treating Phoenix as a foregone conclusion against Minnesota. Have a gander at the latest NBA online betting odds for this matchup:
Do yourself a favor and make sure you recheck these online NBA betting odds until you actually place your wager. Our Phoenix Suns vs. Minnesota Timberwolves betting odds are accurate as of all games played on Tuesday, March 28. Adjustments will be made to the lines ahead of tip-off on Wednesday, March 29, 10:30 p.m. EST. In particular, we expect there to be a ton of movement once Kevin Durant's return is confirmed by a major news outlet.
You won't need to sweat any of these tweaks so long as you have signed up with the right sportsbook. And we can help you in this department. Our reviews of the top online sportsbooks are incredibly in-depth. Reading through them should enable you to spot the best online NBA betting sites in 2023.
Anyway, the Suns are about to be at full strength. But so are the Timberwolves. Could that mean we're in for a tighter contest than anticipated? Let's get to our Timberwolves vs. Suns picks!
Will Kevin Durant Need Time to Get Acclimated to the Phoenix Suns?
The Suns look to-die for on paper. But things could be different in practice. Kevin Durant has only appeared in three games for his new team. Not only is his experience with them limited, but he hasn't played any basketball over the past few weeks. He could be both rusty and out of his element.
Paint us every shade of unconcerned.
Durant has historically excelled when it comes to returning from injuries. Consider what he did after he tore his Achilles and missed an entire season. He came back and was almost immediately a top-five player in the NBA. Sure, there can be a learning curve when joining a new team. But Durant's play style is also infinitely scalable. It doesn't take much effort to integrate him into your offensive system. And he has proved as much during his first three appearances with the Suns. KD is averaging about 27 points on 70 percent shooting since arriving in Phoenix, and the Suns have outscored opponents by a total of 46 points during his time on the floor.
To the Timberwolves' credit, they pose a unique challenge. They are super big with Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns both starting up front. Phoenix, on the other hand, can skew small with Durant and one big on the frontline. That could give Minnesota an advantage on the glass. It won't give them an advantage anywhere else.
Neither Towns nor Gobert is capable of hanging with Durant on the perimeter, which may force the Timberwolves to bench one of their bigs for most of the games. They can alleviate some of the burden by having Jaden McDaniels chase around KD no matter what and then stashing KAT or Gobert on Torrey Craig or Josh Okogie, but even that isn't ideal. For as much progress as the Timberwolves have made after acquiring Mike Conley, they don't yet have the defensive versatility or offensive firepower to hang with Phoenix's best five-man unit.
OSB Prediction: Phoenix Suns (-217)
Minnesota Should Not End Up Being a Pushover Against Phoenix
Below you can see the latest NBA point spread betting odds for the Timberwolves vs. Suns matchup on Wednesday:
- Phoenix Suns, -5 (-110)
- Minnesota Timberwolves, +5 (-110)
A five-point spread is relatively modest. The Suns are 2-1 against the Timberwolves this year, and both victories have come by at least nine points. Somewhat oddly, both of Phoenix's wins came when Minnesota had Karl-Anthony Towns in the rotation. The Suns' lone loss came when KAT was sidelined with an injury.
That doesn't necessarily inform this matchup. The Timberwolves aren't going to stagger KAT and Gobert just because the one-big version of themselves beat the Suns in a random regular season. But it is something worth noting.
For their part, Phoenix is edging out opponents by an average of 4.4 points per game when playing at home. But that number surges to 13 points in victories. The Suns have also won their three games with Kevin Durant by 14 points, 19 points and four points, respectively. While we could see Minnesota's size giving Phoenix some problems, we're inevitably concerned the Timberwolves will be too slow on defense to keep this game especially close.
OSB Prediction: Phoenix Suns, -5 (-110)
The Final Score of Suns vs. Timberwolves Could be Astronomical
Here are the latest NBA over/under betting odds for the Suns vs. Timberwolves game on Wednesday:
- Over 234 (-110)
- Under 234 (-110)
Two of the three games between the Suns and Timberwolves this season have totaled more than 234 points. The one that didn't still saw them flirt with a final combined score of 225. We are fully expecting Phoenix and Minnesota to hit the over as a result.
Both teams could see their defenses suffer in this one. Durant may not move as well laterally after an ankle injury, and KAT's return in Minnesota gives the Suns a weak link to target defensively.
Some will be worried that Phoenix's mid-range heavy shot selection pulls this final score in the wrong direction. Don't lose sleep over that. The Suns offense will be so efficient it doesn't matter. They are averaging 120 points in games that Durant has played. Their offense will be a clinic against every team. Tack on Minnesota's own improving offense, and this should be a game that sees both squads enter the 120s.
OSB Prediction: Over 234 (-110)
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