Game 2 for both NBA Conference Finals series is in the books, and we have a pair of 2-0 victories for the Thunder against the Timberwolves in the West, and the Pacers against the Knicks in the East. We will look at both Game 3 matchups with the first tipping off on Sunday.
The winners continue to flow for us as we hit on both our tips in the Game 2s, which means we’ve won 10 of our last 12 tips. If you’re keen to follow along, make sure to Join Dabble Today!
NBA Conference Finals Betting Tips: Game 3s
OKC Thunder at Minnesota Timberwolves (Sunday 10:30am AEST)
Series Score: Thunder lead 2-0
The Oklahoma City Thunder have been the best team in the NBA this season, posting a regular season record of 68-14. Right now, that dominance is being asserted against the Minnesota Timberwolves with comfortable 114-88 and 118-103 victories in the first two games of the Western Conference Finals.
Attention now shifts from Oklahoma City to Minneapolis, Minnesota, in a must-win game for the Timberwolves. They cannot afford to go down 3-0 in the series, a task that would be almost impossible.
Game 2 was a carbon copy of Game 1 with the Thunder in complete control of their opposition. MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander showed why he won the NBA’s most coveted individual award, dropping 38 points and dishing out eight assists on 12-21 shooting, including 13-15 at the free throw line. SGA’s second in command, Jalen Williams was phenomenal with 26 points and 10 rebounds, while Chet Holmgren had 22 points. Equally as impressive was the Thunder’s swarming defence, making life tough for the Wolves; Julius Randle scored just six points in the Game 2 loss.
Anthony Edwards will be tasked with leading the team on offence, scoring 18 and 32 points in the first two games of the series. The Timberwolves, however, need to protect the ball, giving up 14 turnovers in Game 2 compared to the Thunder who only committed six (they lead the league in the postseason for fewest turnovers).
We are witnessing a historic defensive run in terms of best turnover differential from the Thunder this postseason, and despite the Timberwolves being 4-1 at home in the Playoffs, the Thunder currently look a class above them and can win again to make it a 3-0 hole for the Timberwolves.
Thunder -2.5
$1.90 (1 Unit)
New York Knicks at Indiana Pacers (Monday 10:00am AEST)
Series Score: Pacers lead 2-0
Pascal Siakam set the tone for the Indiana Pacers in Game 2, scoring the first 11 points for the Pacers. The three-time All Star, and 2019 NBA champion with the Toronto Raptors, finished with a game-high 39 points on 15-23 shooting. Jalen Brunson for the New York Knicks finished with 36 points and 11 assists, but it wasn’t enough as the Pacers held on 114-109 to take a 2-0 series lead.
The 2024-25 NBA Playoffs has already seen some incredible upsets with the Pacers beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 4-1 and the Knicks defeating the Boston Celtics 4-2. That trend is continuing again as the Pacers have stormed into Madison Square Garden to steal home court advantage, not once, but twice.
Tyrese Haliburton’s lucky bounce forced overtime in Game 1, although it was Aaron Nesmith going on a heater from deep that even allowed Haliburton and the Pacers to have a chance late in the fourth, as the Knicks choked (cue Haliburton’s Reggie Miller-style choke sign) to lose 138-135 in that contest.
The Pacers will return home full of confidence and winning Game 3 would all but completely sink the Knicks’ confidence of a miraculous series comeback. Karl-Anthony Towns must take accountability for the Game 2 loss, as he was benched for half of the fourth quarter, as coach Tom Thibodeau opted for Mitchell Robinson’s defensive presence – that was until the Hack-a-Robinson tactic came into effect on a couple of occasions. Towns finished with 20 points, but the Knicks were -20 when he was on the floor.
Composure will be required from the Knicks in Game 3 as they have allowed the Pacers to score far too quickly at times. Thibodeau could also do with having a little more trust in his bench, as he is known for often using just eight-man rotations, whereas Rick Carlisle has been able to go deeper into his bench rotations with the likes of Tony Bradley, Ben Sheppard, and Thomas Bryant seeing some minutes so far in the series. It is a coin flip game, so I am siding with the Knicks to pinch one on the road.
Knicks +2.5
$1.87 (1.5 Units)
