Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Dallas Mavericks takes place on Thursday night, and our crew from the "Buckets" podcast came through with three bets for tonight's contest.
Check out the full episode of "Buckets" below, and continue reading for our top three NBA picks and predictions for Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals between the Timberwolves vs. Mavericks on Thursday, May 30.
NBA Picks From the ‘Buckets’ Podcast: Mavericks vs Timberwolves Game 5 (Thursday, May 30)
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
  | 8:30 p.m. | Timberwolves -4.5 |
| 8:30 p.m. | Timberwolves 1H -2.5 |
| 8:30 p.m. | Kyrie Irving Under 23.5 Points |
Timberwolves -4.5 (-110) vs. Mavericks
8:30 p.m. ET ⋅ TNT
By Sean Little
This bet is contingent on Dereck Lively's status tonight.
Fatigue definitely played a factor for Anthony Edwards in the latest meeting between these teams, and he emptied the tank because it was an elimination spot, as well as tonight.
We saw the Wolves consistently drive the paint with because of Lively's absence, so if he is out once again, I see a similar trend. The defense for the Wolves looked like the team of old in locking up Kyrie and Luka Doncic and if you do that, you will win more of these games than not.
Karl Anthony-Towns was a ghost in those first three games so it's about time he stepped up in this series. The crowd at home is going to give them an extra boost of energy, more specifically, a boost to Anthony Edwards which he desperately needs.
I think they cover the number tonight, and while they may run out of gas heading back to Dallas, they will at least push this series to six games.
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Timberwolves 1H -2.5 (-110) vs. Mavericks
8:30 p.m. ET ⋅ TNT
I lean toward the Wolves in this spot, in general.
The reason I like the first half as opposed to the full game is because they have to come out of the gates sharp. I think they are a bit of a deeper team right now with Lively likely still out. If he doesn't play, that's a massive loss for Dallas and we saw that in Game 4. He adds another layer of versatility to the offense.
The Mavs also just haven't looked great in the first halves of these games. They have struggled to get going early and I think it has flipped from the last series when they were consistently winnings first halves. I expect the Wolves to come out and have the lead in the first half and then hold on for dear life in the second.
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Kyrie Irving Under 23.5 Points (-120)
8:30 p.m. ET ⋅ TNT
By Jay Money
I like what the Wolves did in Game 4 by not having Anthony Edwards guard Kyrie Irving.
I think Edwards is better off guarding Luka because he isn't the fastest laterally and while he can still get past you, Ant has the ability to recover as opposed to guarding Kyrie who is far quicker off the dribble.
We already know how good Jaden McDaniels is defensively, and even with a smaller guard in Kyrie, McDaniels has no problem because of his length.
McDaniels' job isn't scoring. While we have seen him take on a role in the playoffs as a catch-and-shoot guy, his real game is to lock-up defensively. He held Kyrie to 6-of-18 from the floor, and truth be told, I was surprised to see him reach 16 points.
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