A trip to the NBA finals is on the line as the sixth-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves take on the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2025 NBA Western Conference finals. The series begins with Game 1 on Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. ET, and could run all the way to June 1 if all seven games are necessary. The Wolves have rolled through the 2025 NBA playoff bracket, taking down both the Lakers and Warriors in five games. OKC, meanwhile, swept the Grizzlies before being pushed to Game 7 by the Nuggets.
The latest Thunder vs. Timberwolves odds to win the series from FanDuel Sportsbook list OKC as the -375 series favorite (risk $375 to win $100), with Minnesota at +300. The over/under for total games in the series is 5.5, with the Over shaded to -140 and the Under at +114. If you’re looking for how to bet the NBA Western Conference finals, be sure to see the projections from SportsLine data scientist Stephen Oh, and check out the best Game 1 NBA props to make.
Oh is the expert behind the SportsLine Projection Model, which simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in betting profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past six-plus seasons. The model is 23-11 (68%) on top-rated NBA against-the-spread picks this season. Anyone following at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen huge returns. You can find more analysis from Oh and other SportsLine data analysts on their Inside The Lines blog.
Best Thunder vs. Timberwolves series picks:
- Thunder to win the series (-375)
- Thunder to win the series in five games (+270)
Thunder to win the series (-375 at FanDuel)
If you’re looking for a straight-up series bet, the model recommends laying the big number on the Thunder, who win the series outright in a whopping 87% of simulations. The model has been high on Minnesota in the first two rounds, projecting that its superior overall athleticism would be the deciding factor against big names like LeBron James, Luka Doncic, Jimmy Butler and Steph Curry (up until his injury). Minnesota, however, doesn’t have that edge in the Western Conference finals against an extremely deep and athletic OKC squad that had the league’s best record in the regular season. “Now Minnesota faces the one team that has superior athleticism, length and youth, and a super star guard in SGA that’s actually better than Anthony Edwards,” Oh said.
Thunder to win the series in 5 games (+270 at FanDuel)
If laying the -330 doesn’t look appealing, Oh is also calling for a “gentleman’s sweep” for the Thunder, which is a series win in five games. This outcome hits in almost 32% of simulations, making it a great value with this outcome listed at +300 odds. This is the only Thunder vs. Timberwolves series outcome bets that the model has identified as a positive expected value, as it cashes around 4% more often than the lines imply.
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Also at SportsLine:
You can see Timberwolves vs. Thunder Game 1 picks from SportsLine expert Jason La Canfora, who is 97-76 on his last 174 NBA picks. Visit SportsLine to see his best play for Game 1, all from the expert who’s up more than 12 units.