Mavericks vs. Timberwolves: Series Prediction, Betting Odds, Player Props

The Western Conference was a legitimate gauntlet this year. Both the Dallas Mavericks and Minnesota Timberwolves have undeniably earned their spots in the Western Conference Finals and are now just one series win away from an NBA Finals appearance.

The fifth-seed Mavericks battled through the fourth-seed Los Angeles Clippers and the first-seedOklahoma City Thunder in a pair of six-game series, while the Timberwolves pulled off a clean sweep of the Phoenix Suns before taking down the reigning NBA Champion Denver Nuggets in a back-and-forth seven-game series.

Both franchises have plenty riding on this upcoming WCF series, which will kick off on Wednesday May 22nd at 8:30 p.m. ET. The Mavericks have never made it past the conference finals in the Luka Doncic era and would love to get their young star a chance at a ring.

On the flip side, the Timberwolves are making the most of this year's playoff berth -- just the franchise's fourth playoff appearance over the last 20 seasons. A series win over the Mavericks would take the 35-year-old franchise to their very first NBA Finals.

So, which team will represent the Western Conference in this year's NBA Finals? Let's take a look at the Western Conference Finals odds -- including a wide variety of markets -- on FanDuel Sportsbook to get a sense of how this series could shake out.

All NBA odds come from FanDuel Sportsbook and may change after this article is published.

Western Conference Finals Odds

Mavericks vs. Timberwolves Betting Odds: Moneyline, Total Games, and Correct Score

• Series Moneyline:
  • Mavericks: +142
  • Timberwolves: -168
• Total Games:
  • 4 (+500)
  • 5 (+220)
  • 6 (+200)
  • 7 (+220)
• Series Correct Score:
  • Timberwolves 4-0 (+850)
  • Timberwolves 4-1 (+360)
  • Timberwolves 4-2 (+500)
  • Timberwolves 4-3 (+400)
  • Mavericks 4-0 (+1600)
  • Mavericks 4-1 (+900)
  • Mavericks 4-2 (+460)
  • Mavericks 4-3 (+750)
• Correct Score After Three Games:
  • Timberwolves 3-0 (+370)
  • Timberwolves 2-1 (+120)
  • Mavericks 3-0 (+1000)
  • Mavericks 2-1 (+185)
• Series Spread:
  • Timberwolves -1.5 (+122)
  • Mavericks +1.5 (-150)

Mavericks vs. Timberwolves Prediction

• numberFire Prediction:
  • Mavericks to Make NBA Finals: 20.83%
  • Timberwolves to Make NBA Finals: 79.17%
• ESPN Prediction:
  • Mavericks to Make NBA Finals: 51.7%
  • Timberwolves to Make NBA Finals: 48.3%
• Opta Analyst Prediction:
  • Mavericks to Make NBA Finals: 29.7%
  • Timberwolves to Make NBA Finals: 70.3%
• Basketball Reference Prediction:
  • Mavericks to Make NBA Finals: 26.6%
  • Timberwolves to Make NBA Finals: 73.4%

Mavericks vs. Timberwolves Player Props

Western Conference Finals MVP:

• Anthony Edwards: -145
• Luka Doncic: +160
• Karl-Anthony Towns: +1400
• Kyrie Irving: +1600
• Rudy Gobert: +5000

Most Total Points:

• Luka Doncic: -115
• Anthony Edwards: +125
• Kyrie Irving: +1200
• Karl-Anthony Towns +1700

Most Total Rebounds:

• Rudy Gobert: -600
• Luka Doncic: +650
• Karl-Anthony Towns: +1600
• Dereck Lively: +5000

Most Total Assists:

• Luka Doncic: -440
• Mike Conley: +600
• Anthony Edwards: +1200
• Kyrie Irving: +2400
• Karl-Anthony Towns: +6500

Most Total Made Threes:

• Luka Doncic: +115
• Anthony Edwards: +340
• Kyrie Irving: +600
• P.J. Washington: +700
• Karl-Anthony Towns: +1100
• Mike Conley: +1200
• Nickeil Alexander-Walker: +4200

Mavericks vs. Timberwolves Advanced Stats Breakdown

nERD via numberFire. Adjusted offensive/defensive ratings, pace, and shot distribution via DunksAndThrees.

• Mavericks:
  • nERD: 57.1 (12th)
  • Adjusted Offensive Rating: 117.5 (7th)
  • Adjusted Defensive Rating: 115.3 (18th)
  • Pace: 100.4 (8th)
  • Against-the-Spread Record: 48-34-0
  • Shot Distribution and Efficiency:
    • Rim: 30.1% (30th) - 67.3% (3rd)
    • Mid: 25.8% (14th) - 44.7% (9th)
    • 3PT: 44.1% (2nd) - 36.9% (13th)
• Timberwolves:
  • nERD: 70.9 (3rd)
  • Adjusted Offensive Rating: 115.0 (17th)
  • Adjusted Defensive Rating: 108.9 (1st)
  • Pace: 97.7 (22nd)
  • Against-the-Spread Record: 40-41-1
  • Shot Distribution and Efficiency:
    • Rim: 35.0% (13th) - 64.1% (13th)
    • Mid: 26.5% (16th) - 42.2% (17th)
    • 3PT: 38.4% (17th) - 38.7% (3rd)

Mavericks vs. Timberwolves Analysis

The Timberwolves made their way this year by playing elite defense and efficient offense. It was a highly successful approach for them -- they battled for the top seed in the West for most of the year and finished with an impressive 56-26 record.

With big men Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns dominating in the paint, the Timberwolves were able to prevent their opponents from taking easy shots near the basket -- just 32.1% (fifth-fewest) of opposing shots came from under the rim. Likewise, aggressive defense around the arc led to their foes attempting three-pointers at the sixth-lowest rate (37.2%). So, what was left for their opponents after that? A league-high 30.7% attempt rate on mid-range two-pointers.

The Wolves forced their opponents to work hard for inefficient shots while sinking their own three-pointers at the third-best rate in the league. Their balanced, efficient offense made them hard to defend, while breakout star Anthony Edwards has become one of the premiere must-watch players on a nightly basis. He's dialed in right now -- his effective field goal percentage has spiked from .522 during the season to .578 in the playoffs, and he's up to 28.9 points per game in the postseason after averaging 25.9 per game during the year.

The Mavericks won't be an easy out for the Wolves, though. Despite three of the four projection models listed above giving the Timberwolves a sizable edge for the series, this still looks like it will be a back-and-forth competition.

Doncic is averaging 27.3 points per game this postseason -- second only to Edwards' 28.9 per game among remaining playoff players -- while also averaging more assists per game (9.1) than any other player in this year's playoffs. He's been an offensive dynamo that even the Thunder's fourth-ranked defense had trouble shutting down over a full series.

Unfortunately, despite these teams meeting up four separate times during the regular season, we don't really know how they match up against each other. The Wolves won three of those four contests, but the Mavs were missing both Doncic and Kyrie Irving in two of them and just Irving for another. The Mavs won the only game that featured both Doncic and Irving, beating the Wolves by 7 points at home.

That said, the Timberwolves' play style has seemed to translate pretty seamlessly to the postseason. Their already slow average pace of play meant they were well-suited for the slowed-down playoff environment. Even with the slight drop-off in pace and despite the stiff competition, they're averaging just 4.6 fewer points per game this postseason than they did during the year.

To their credit the Mavericks have tightened things up on defense a bit in this high-stakes environment, but they have also seen their average points per game drop from 117.9 during the year down to 106.5 per game in the playoffs. They'll need to come out of the gates swinging to keep this series close.

Take your sports betting to the next level with the FanDuel Parlay Hub! Explore a curated selection of popular parlays for trending games on FanDuel Sportsbook. Learn about today’s other offers at FanDuel Sportsbook Promos.

Looking for the latest NBA odds? Head over to FanDuel Sportsbook and check out all of the NBA betting options.

Sign up for FanDuel Sportsbook and FanDuel Daily Fantasy today!

The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author’s advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.