MINNESOTA @ PHOENIX (PHX -4, 216.5)
NBA ODDS, NBA PREDICTIONS, NBA PREVIEWS
JA CAVALIER REVIEWS
TIMBERWOLVES VS. SUNS 4/5/24
In a game that is crucial for both teams, Devin Booker will try to carry on his recent scoring binge when the Phoenix Suns host the Minnesota Timberwolves tonight. With 92 points in his last two games, the shooting guard helped the Suns (45-31) climb to the sixth seed in the Western Conference playoff standings. Sixth place or higher would guarantee the Suns don’t have to participate in the play-in round.
In Monday's 124-111 road victory over the New Orleans Pelicans, Booker scored 52 points. In the Cavaliers' 122-101 home victory on Wednesday, he scored 40. Over the last two games, Booker is 32-of-53 from the field, including 13-of-25 from three-point range. It was just the second time this season that Durant and Booker combined for 30 or more points each in a single game when Kevin Durant added 32 points against Cleveland.
As Phoenix heads into its final six regular-season games, a lot is on the line. The team has won 10 of its last 15 games. The Los Angeles Lakers, in ninth place, are only a half-game out of eighth place and 1.5 games out of sixth in the Western Conference.
The Suns trail the Dallas Mavericks, who are in fifth place, by one game. The Sacramento Kings are a one game behind in eighth place, while Phoenix owns the tiebreaker despite having the same record as the seventh-place New Orleans Pelicans.
At the top of the West standings, Minnesota (53-23) is engaged in a war of its own. The Oklahoma City Thunder are only one game behind the Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets in the race for first place. The fourth-place Clippers beat Denver last night 102-100.
On Sunday, Minnesota travels to the Lakers to conclude a quick two-game trip that begins in Phoenix tonight. On April 14, the Timberwolves and Suns will also play in Minneapolis to end the season. Minnesota has won nine of its last 11 games. They just defeated the visiting Toronto Raptors 133-85 on Wednesday. After trailing the injury-ravaged Raptors by 16 points at the half, Minnesota outscored them 75-43 in the second half.
Anthony Edwards made five of his 12 three-point tries while scoring 28 points. Following three games in which Edwards had missed all 19 of his three-point attempts combined, Minnesota was relieved to see Edwards shoot better from long range. Edwards managed to score over 20 points in all three of those games despite his struggles. He has hit for 20 or more in five out of his last six games and four in a row.
Against Toronto, Naz Reid scored 23 points and made 6-of-10 three-pointers.
Eight of the previous nine meetings against Minnesota have been won by Phoenix, including a 133-115 triumph at home on November 15. In that game, Booker and Durant both scored 31 points.
Get free NBA Picks and NBA Predictions for the top games on the weekly 2023-24 NBA schedule from JA Cavalier, one of the industry's premier expert NBA handicappers. J.A. Cavalier has been bringing the NBA betting community the best NBA free picks and predictions for nearly three decades. Visit daily for the best NBA moneyline and point spread odds and game totals.
ENTIRE NBA SEASON $100 🏀GET THE ENTIRE SEASON STRAIGHT THROUGH THE NBA FINALS JUST $100. ALL SELECTIONS 1-50*
FREE PICK TWOLVES +4
