Betting Odds Paint Bleak Outlook for Wolves' Chances to Advance Past Spurs

After knocking off the Nuggets in round one, the opponents will only get more challenging for the Timberwolves in the postseason. According to DraftKings Sportsbook, they're ginormous +950 betting underdogs in the second round to advance past the Spurs.

With Donte DiVincenzo out for the remainder of the playoffs, Anthony Edwards probably still a few games away from returning and Ayo Dosunmu, fresh off missing Thursday's Game 6 against the Nuggets, the odds shouldn't come as too much of a surprise. But +950 odds give Minnesota a 9.52% chance to win the series.

The dates for the series have been set for a few days, but we're still waiting on times and TV assignments. The Wolves have opened as substantial 13.5-point betting underdogs for Monday's Game 1 in San Antonio. +625 moneyline odds give them a 13.79% implied probability of opening the series with a win.

The status of Edwards is obviously the biggest cloud hanging over the entire series. The original prognosis was "multiple weeks," and then it was "week-to-week." Game 1 will be nine days since he suffered the knee injury on April 25 against Denver. Friday's Game 3 in San Antonio will be 13 days since the injury.

The current odds suggest that the oddsmakers think Edwards' chances of returning are slim. Minnesota was 2-1 against the Spurs in the regular season. San Antonio was 32-8 in the regular season at Frost Bank Center, so winning games 1 or 2 with or without Edwards was always going to be a challenging task.

Getting Edwards back for Game 3 in Minnesota on Friday, May 8 might be unlikely, but also not impossible. If he doesn't come back until Sunday, May 10 and the Wolves are already trailing 3-0 in the series, the current betting odds would obviously make more sense.

Edwards averaged 27.5 points per game in Minnesota's two wins over the Spurs in the regular season, but they hadn't even traded for Dosunmu before both those games. It's far more realistic that Dosunmu returns to the lineup early in this series.

The Timberwolves have been routinely disrespected by the media and betting markets in the previous two postseasons, which resulted in back-to-back runs to the Western Conference Finals. They knocked off Denver as betting underdogs in the first round, and they will have to do it again in round two against the Spurs.

Team odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

Add us as a preferred source on Google