Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves continue to show out in the NBA playoffs…
while Ben Simmons showed out in an entirely different forum.
Denver, We Have A Problem
What Happened: One day after the defending NHL champion Vegas Golden Knights were ousted from the Stanley Cup playoffs, the NBA’s reigning champ is looking extremely vulnerable. And a new power seems to have emerged in the Western Conference.
The Minnesota Timberwolves dog-walked the Denver Nuggets last night on their own court by a score of 106-80. The series now shifts to Minnesota with the lower seed up 2-0, and Denver searching for answers before its too late.
Why It Matters: Anyone who took a flier on the T-Wolves before the season began is feeling pretty darn good at the moment.
Chris Finch’s team opened the 2023 season with +7000 odds to win the NBA title. Even as the playoffs began, it was +2000, the sixth-best title odds from the Western Conference alone.
Now, Minny is +290, trailing only the Boston Celtics (+100) and the clear front-runner from the west.
We are seeing a team and a star player in Anthony Edwards make the leap in real time. If you put some moolah down on this, congrats on being way, way ahead of the curve.
How We’re Feeling Today
Awed by the confidence with which Ben Simmons carries himself.
Last night, Simmons showed up at the Met Gala, dressed the part with a giant clock as part of his ensemble.
Predictably, NBA fans flamed Simmons with jokes about “missing time”, his clock working more than he did this season, etc.
The thing is, Simmons had to know these barbs were coming, and yet he still made the appearance. Nothing like complete belief in yourself to stunt on your haters…and $163 million in career earnings to fully embrace not caring what anyone thinks of you.
The Look Ahead
Tyler Seguin SOG – Here we have a plus-money play that has been cashing in consistently as of late. Seguin’s line is 2.5, and he’s fired at least three shots on net in five straight games, and in six of seven postseason games so far. Colorado has so far posted a nearly identical shots per game average as Vegas did, so we don’t see why to expect a dip in production for Seguin tonight.
Jarrett Allen PRA– If the Cavaliers are going to have any shot at stealing a game from the Celtics in Boston, Allen is gonna need to carry a big burden on offense. That seems a bit more possible with Kristaps Porzingis, the best rim-protector Boston has, out with a calf injury. Allen’s line for tonight is 26.5, and it’s also a plus-money play. He hit over that line in three of four games against Orlando, although Boston is surely a tougher opponent.
