Minnesota at Houston

Young Minnesota has to open the playoffs on the road. This is not a good omen, where they went 17-24 straight up. The Timberwolves are on a 6-16 ATS run on the road. Defense is the reason as Minnesota is #29 in the NBA in field goal shooting allowed, including #18 at defending the three-pointer. They are also 15-7 OVER the total after scoring 100+ points in their previous game. They face an uptempo Houston offense that has been sensational, getting the No. 1 seed in the West. Houston has covered four straight meetings with Minnesota, and the Rockets are 9-3 ATS against the NBA Northwest Division. The Rockets have another huge edge with their bench in Eric Gordon, Ryan Anderson, Gerald Green, Joe Johnson, and Nene making them one of the deepest teams in the league. Look for an uptempo game with the OVER 14-3 when they clash, including 7-2 OVER on this court. So back home court in Game 1 in an offensive show. Play Houston and the OVER.