Timberwolves' NBA Finals Odds Skyrocket After Massive Upset vs. Spurs, Anthony Edwards Return

Don't look now, but the Minnesota Timberwolves are making a real case to be in the Western Conference Finals for the third season in a row.

Minnesota entered the conference semifinals at +7000 to win the NBA Finals, which was eighth amongst the eight teams remaining in the playoffs. Now, after upsetting the San Antonio Spurs in Game 1, the No. 6-seeded Wolves have jumped all the way to +2500 to win the title at DraftKings Sportsbook, tied with the Cleveland Cavaliers for the fifth-best odds in the league.

Minnesota held San Antonio to just 102 points in Game 1, building on the elite defensive series that it put together in the first round against the Denver Nuggets. On top of that, All-Star guard Anthony Edwards (knee) returned earlier than expected in Game 1, giving the team a huge lift off the bench with 18 points in 25 minutes of action.

The crazy part? The Wolves could get even better. They didn't have trade-deadline addition Ayo Dosunmu (calf) in action in Game 1, and he's considered day-to-day ahead of Wednesday's Game 2. Minnesota's win moved it to +160 to win this series, and it knocked the Spurs back to +475 to win the Finals.

While San Antonio is still the No. 2 choice in the odds to win the Finals, that could change if the Wolves steal Game 2 as well. Minneosta was a sizable underdog in the first round against Denver, yet it won Games 2 through 4 to completely flip the series -- even with Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo suffering injuries.

Now, with Edwards back in any capacity, the Wolves' ceiling as a contender in the West is much higher.

So far this postseason, Minnesota has a net rating of plus-4.2, and it has a defensive rating of 107.9. Rudy Gobert has made life hard on both Nikola Jokic and Victor Wembanyama, as the Spurs star finished with just 11 points in Game 1, shooting 5-for-17 from the field.

Even though Minnesota limped to the finish in the regular season, it has shown time and time again that it can find another level in the playoffs with this core. The Wolves may be worth a look at +2500 to win the Finals, as they're still priced as a considerable underdog compared to OKC (-155) and San Antonio (+475).

After opening as 13.5-point underdogs in Game 1, Minnesota moved to a 9.5-point underdog once Edwards was ruled in. Now, the Wolves are in the same spot (9.5-point underdogs) in Game 2 on Wednesday.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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