NBA Playoffs 2024/25, Round 3, Game 2, Friday, May 23, 2025, 2:30 a.m.
Every bookmaker that accepts Apple Pay as a payment method knows how important it is to offer its customers a wide range of basketball betting options.
With this in mind, I searched through the offerings of a renowned German bookmaker to find the best bets for this match.
I quickly found what I was looking for with my Thunder Timberwolves tip. My focus is clearly on the total number of baskets scored.
The duel between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Minnesota Timberwolves promises excitement, but if you take a closer look, it looks like it will be a low-scoring game.
In Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals, the Thunder impressed with strong defense and made life difficult for the Timberwolves (114:88) – this could also be indicative of the next games.
The Thunder only really found their rhythm in the second half, but then didn’t let up, dominating the Timberwolves with a half-time score of 70 to 40.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in particular showed why he is considered an MVP candidate, and was the decisive factor on the court with 31 points, nine assists and some important defensive plays.
This suggests that despite their younger team, the Thunder can maintain control of the tempo and don’t have to go hunting for quick points.
Minnesota struggled offensively in particular. Julius Randle was the only bright spot with 28 points, while the rest of the team often failed to put the ball in the basket with a weak field goal percentage of 35%.
The Timberwolves’ three-point shooting was particularly alarming: only 15 of 51 shots found their mark – that’s simply not enough to keep up with the Thunder.
The Thunder, on the other hand, were more efficient from the three-point line (11 of 21), but didn’t play at a high tempo, instead controlling the game defensively.
We can’t expect Minnesota to shoot that poorly again, but it’s clear that the Thunder have a defense that can disrupt the Timberwolves’ offense and keep their scoring down.
Players like Luguentz Dort and Alex Caruso are making life really difficult for Minnesota’s strong offensive players. The Timberwolves’ bench players also remained lackluster, which helped the Thunder prevent their opponents from scoring.
On the other hand, the Thunder also impressed in the paint. With Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein, they had strong big men who held their own against the Timberwolves’ frontcourt stars such as Rudy Gobert, Randle, and Naz Reid.
Holmgren scored 15 points and blocked important shots, while Hartenstein was also accurate and present under the basket. The close rebound battle, 46 to 42 in Oklahoma’s favor, shows that the Thunder also played well here.
The clear message from Game 1: It won’t necessarily be a high-scoring game, but rather a tactical contest characterized by strong defense.
The Timberwolves will try to improve their shooting percentages, but the Thunder have proven that they can prevent that and don’t need to take many shots to win.
Against this backdrop, an under bet makes sense for this match. Both teams have shown that they can prevent their opponents from scoring with a controlled style of play and tough defense.
There are many reasons to believe that Game 2 will also remain in the lower scoring range, especially since the Thunder have nothing to gain by engaging in an offensive fireworks display that weakens their defense.
A realistic final score could again be just under the 210-point mark, which argues in favor of an under.
The Timberwolves will not completely shake off their offensive problems and the Thunder will want to maintain their defensive intensity. For betting fans, this is a good opportunity to bet on fewer baskets and thus on an under in terms of points.
In addition, you can bet on the strong influence of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who carries a lot of responsibility on offense and often draws fouls with his controlled play instead of taking a lot of quick shots.
This also argues for a slightly lower score, as the game interruptions could further slow down the pace.
Conclusion: Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Minnesota Timberwolves is a game where the focus will be on defense and the pace will be rather controlled. The Timberwolves had major problems on offense in Game 1, and the Thunder showed how to exploit that.
Therefore, an under bet on the total score is the most realistic choice. With a defensive game and few successful shots on both sides, the total score will probably be below the bookmakers’ mark.
Those who like to take a little more risk can also bet on another low-scoring win for the Thunder – the momentum and defense clearly favor them.
My tip: Under 220.5 points
