The Mavericks upset the Wolves 108-105 and stole home-court advantage in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals in Minnesota on Wednesday.
The Sporting News betting team also had a winning night, placing numerous pre-match and in-match bets in our PariMGM live betting blog.
Updated NBA Championship Odds, Best Bets:
Finals odds | Can Luka be arrested? | Will Indy be able to defeat the Celts?
I don’t know the sports news PariMGM a live betting blog? Well, we’ll keep you informed! Each week we choose one game to focus exclusively on, providing betting lines, odds, picks, tips and updates before and during the game.
As they have throughout the season, the Sporting News live betting blogs continue to highlight the best bets on PariMGM in the best playoff games. It’s like a cascade of victories as we race toward the NBA championship.
Continue reading below to see how our best bets played out tonight and to see how the game and betting odds ended up breaking down.
Mavs vs. Timberwolves: Game 1 score, highlights
Mavs vs. Timberwolves Game 1 Score
| T1 | T2 | T3 | T4 | Total | |
| Mavs | 27 | 32 | 23 | 26 | 108 |
| wolves | 33 | 29 | 21 | 22 | 105 |
Luka Doncic (DAL): 33 points, 8 assists, 6 rebounds
Kyrie Irving (DAL): 30 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists
Jaden McDaniels (MIN): 24 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists
Anthony Edwards (MIN): 19 points, 11 rebounds, 8 assists
Mavs. vs Wolves, Match 1 Updates, Live Betting Tips
As the timestamps indicate, these updates and betting recommendations were made during the match.
11:00 : It’s finish ! The Mavs won the second, third and fourth quarters and stunned the Wolves on their own field with a complete upset. Great evening for the Sporting News betting team! Full results to come.
10:23 a.m.: As expected, this game has tightened up considerably! Looks like we could witness a photo finish! OVER live score of 217.5 could be worth a modest bet, because the score in this setting should far exceed the 44 points we just saw in the third. Fifty-three in the fourth appears to be a layup.
9:36 a.m.: Dallas ends the half on a 5-0 run and – just like that – the score is 62-59 Minnesota. Kyrie is hot with 24 points, Luka has 14, PJ Washington has eight and no other Mav has more than five. The Wolves, meanwhile, got 19 from Jaden McDaniels and 11 from Kyle Anderson. Ant-Man has 13. This still looks like a game Dallas can steal (+160). As Irving mentioned earlier, Minnesota is coming off a Game 7 win and it’s up to the Mavs to put pressure on their tired legs. JMC can’t maintain a 10-of-12 pace from three-point range, and Dallas won’t finish this game 4-of-26 from outside.
9:12 a.m.: The Mavs gain 6.5 points on the live spread (-114). This seems like significant value, especially with Luka and Kyrie hot and no one else in Dallas really getting going yet. Once these two get their teammates going, this should be a much closer game than the current score of 39-32 – and the majority of the start of this game – suggests.
9:06 p.m.: The Wolves got off to a good start, putting 33 points on the board in the first quarter. Minnesota is shooting 56.5% from three, they are leading the fast break battle 10-0 and they have made 7 of 12 three-pointers. This pace is completely unsustainable, so the time seems ideal to bet live UNDER 217.5 (-110).
Mavs vs. Timberwolves Betting Results, Game 1
Here’s a complete overview of our best bets, both before the match and during the live betting window.
Pre-match betting:
- Luka Doncic OVER 28.5 points (-110): ✅ (33)
- Mavericks +4.5 at Wolves (-115): ✅ (108-105)
- Mavs at Wolves: UNDER 207.5: ❌ (213)
- Naz Reid OVER 9.5 points (-120): ✅ (15)
- Derrick Jones Jr. OVER 0.5 blocks (-160): ❌ (0)
Live betting:
- Mavs at Wolves live UNDER 217.5 (-110): ✅ (213)
- Mavs +6.5 live spread at Wolves (-114): ✅ (108-105)
- Mavs live moneyline at Wolves (+160): ✅
- The Mavs at Wolves live OVER 217.5 (-110): ❌ (213)
Final score: 6-3 – should have stayed with our weapons and stayed UNDER 217.5. The Mavs defense keeps showing up!
Mavs vs. Timberwolves Game 1 best bets
These bets were recommended before the 8:35 p.m. ET alert.
Luka Doncic points: OVER 28.5 (-110)
Last year, Nikola Jokic responded to not winning the MVP award by rolling through the West on a 16-4 playoff run and winning the Western Conference Finals MVP and the NBA. This time, it may be Luka Doncic’s turn to do the same.
No one has averaged more points per game on the road this season than Luka’s 33.5. And Minnesota’s top-ranked defense only seemed to motivate him more, as he averaged 36.5 PPG in his two games against the Wolves.
Twenty-nine seems like a gift here. Doncic has scored 60 points in his last two games, he’s averaging 29.8 points per game on the road in the playoffs and no one on the Wolves can guard him.
Mavericks +4.5 at Wolves (-115)
The Western Conference semifinals proved that the Mavericks are better on the road than the Wolves at home. Dallas stole Games 2 and 5 from Oklahoma City by a combined 21 points, led by Doncic and his 60 points, 21 rebounds and 17 assists.
Doncic also benefits from having all-time playoff player Kyrie Irving as his running mate, and several complementary scoring pieces around them, like emerging PJ Washington and lob threats Daniel Gafford and Derek Lively .
Minnesota has a hell of a defense, but its offense has been inconsistent. Facing a Dallas defense that has improved by leaps and bounds since the start of the season, the Wolves should have a hard time escaping the Mavs in the first game. Four and a half points seems like too much to give to a confident and spunky Mavs team with scoring chops and rim protection. Consider betting on the underdogs to hedge.
Mavs at Wolves: UNDER 207.5 (-110)
All signs point to the UNDER here. These two teams expended a lot of energy to get past two of the top four teams in the league. Both teams also feature elite defense, seemingly contesting every shot and making life for the ball handlers extremely difficult.
Don’t expect fireworks in this one. Denver has established a plan for Dallas to follow: Blitz Anthony Edwards and force “the others” to be important to the Wolves. Even with a win, Minnesota couldn’t reach 100 points in Game 7. Expect a tough competition that leads to a much lower plus/minus heading into Game 2.
Naz Reid Points: OVER 9.5 (-120)
Reid has provided the Wolves with a much-needed spark off the bench several times during the playoffs, and he has scored in double figures in three of Minnesota’s last four games. His activity alone is infectious, crashing the boards and searching for loose balls to give his team an edge in effort.
Big men with lots of energy and drive tend to be rewarded by their teammates, and Chris Finch and company know that Reid must continue to contribute in the scoring department if the Wolves have any chance of making the finals of the NBA.
Derrick Jones Jr. blocks: OVER 0.5 (-160)
You need to scroll through the player accessory deals for this hidden gem, and don’t let the upgraded -160 deter you once you find it. Jones Jr. played crazy minutes for Dallas in the postseason, and he should be instrumental in the Mavs’ containment strategy with Anthony Edwards.
DJJ also has such ridiculous jump shots that he is more than capable of helping big men Gafford, Washington and Lively if they need it against Minnesota’s three-peat threat. The veteran small forward has suffered at least one denial in three straight games and six total blocks during that span.
