NBA

NBA Odds: Timberwolves Open As Heavy Game 1 Favorites Over Warriors

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Anthony Cardenas
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Anthony Cardenas Sports Editor

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Published05 May 2025

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The Minnesota Timberwolves and NBA Playoffs starting on Tuesday night. And due to factors like location and rest time, the hometown Timberwolves will enter the game as a heavy 7-point favorite.

Warriors Are Heavy Underdogs For Game 1

While the Golden State battled out a tough 7-game series in the first round, Minnesota was afforded ample time to rest. Anthony Edwards and company were able to close out the Los Angeles Lakers in just five games, with that series wrapping up last Wednesday.

That means the Timberwolves will have had five consecutive off days when they take the court tomorrow night, while the Warriors will be coming off of a single day of rest.

It would have been highly beneficial for the Warriors to finish off the Houston Rockets in five or six games. Golden State’s biggest stars and highest usage players are at least 35 years old, and any type of rest would have gone a long way. Factor in Steph Curry’s ailing thumb and Jimmy Butler’s recovery from the hard fall on his tailbone, and it becomes clear that a shorter first round series would have done them well.

The difference in rest time certainly influenced the opening betting line for Game 1. The Warriors not only have just one day off in between games, but they’ll now be in the middle of a tough travel sequence. The team’s plane arrived in Houston for Game 7 on Saturday night, and they will now fly directly from there to Minneapolis to start the next series.

With the first two games of the series being road contests for Golden State, they will have been away from home for nearly a week when they return to San Francisco for Game 3.

Timberwolves Favored In Series, As Well

All of those factors play in to the rather large 7-point spread for Game 1. The line is of course subject to change, but don’t expect much variety over the next 24 hours.

The Warriors are underdogs in the series as well. They are listed at +155 entering Game 1, marking the first time that they haven’t been favored in a playoff series in over 11 years. The last time was against the Los Angeles Clippers in 2014, when Steph Curry still had zero championships on his resume.