NBA Playoffs Best Bets, Picks, Predictions for Thursday, May 22

The conference round of the NBA Playoffs resumes with one standalone matchup on Thursday night, as Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals between the Thunder and Timberwolves takes center stage at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Our staff of basketball betting experts dug into the latest odds and identified 6 NBA picks for tonight’s contest. Continue below for our NBA best bets and predictions for Thursday, May 22.

NBA Playoffs Best Bets, Picks, Predictions: Thursday, May 22

[quickslipbasic bookname=”Fanatics” booklogo=”https://assets.actionnetwork.com/573837_FanaticsSportsbook20ALT.png” image=”https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2025/05/IMG_5707.jpg” buttontext=”Add Our NBA Best Bets to Your Bet Slip Instantly!” buttonlink=”https://www.scoresandodds.com/all/parlay?quickslip=1&onelink=/5kut/2fefwq9o?sharedBy=QS_0105&ref=10001″][/quickslipbasic]

[anchor name=”1″][/anchor]

[subheader sizedown=”false” text=”Timberwolves vs. Thunder”][/subheader]

[gameheader haspick=”true” picktext=”Donte DiVincenzo Over 12.5 Points + Assists (-110)” league=”nba” awaylogo=”https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2023/08/nba-updated-logo-minnesota-timberwolves.png” awayname=”Minnesota Timberwolves” awayslug=”minnesota-timberwolves” homelogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/nba/100/okc.png” homename=”Oklahoma City Thunder” homeslug=”oklahoma-city-thunder” date=”Thursday, May 22″ time=”8:30 p.m. ET” network=”ESPN” bookname=”DraftKings ” bookprimarylogo=”https://assets.actionnetwork.com/477013_DraftKings@1x.png” bookreviewslug=”draftkings”][/gameheader]

By Joe Dellera

In Game 1 of this series, the Wolves‘ primary strategy against Oklahoma City was to bomb from deep, as they took a whopping 51 shots from beyond the arc which accounted for 61% of their attempts.

One player that can help with that is Donte DiVincenzo. He has averaged 14.7 Points + Assists (PA) this season, and is due for a bit of positive regression after the series opener.

Donte had 2 dimes on 6 potentials, but he had the second most passes on the Wolves.

Further, he was just 3/14 from the field including 3/12 from 3-point range. He’s a 40% 3 point shooter over the past few seasons, and on that volume, this spot sets up well for him.

Minnesota shot just 29.4% from 3-point range in Game 1, and I expect a bit of a bounce back given the volume.

This should help Donte for both his own scoring, but his assists as well.

Pick: Donte DiVincenzo Over 12.5 Points + Assists (-110)

_InlineAdBlock

[anchor name=”2″][/anchor]

[subheader sizedown=”false” text=”Timberwolves vs. Thunder”][/subheader]

[gameheader haspick=”true” picktext=”Mike Conley Over 5.5 Rebounds + Assists (-138)” league=”nba” awaylogo=”https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2023/08/nba-updated-logo-minnesota-timberwolves.png” awayname=”Minnesota Timberwolves” awayslug=”minnesota-timberwolves” homelogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/nba/100/okc.png” homename=”Oklahoma City Thunder” homeslug=”oklahoma-city-thunder” date=”Thursday, May 22″ time=”8:30 p.m. ET” network=”ESPN” bookname=”DraftKings ” bookprimarylogo=”https://assets.actionnetwork.com/477013_DraftKings@1x.png” bookreviewslug=”draftkings”][/gameheader]

By Michael Arinze

The Timberwolves desperately seek consistency in their backcourt to pair with Anthony Edwards.

Therefore, while Mike Conley is far from his prime, considering he’s 37, Wolves head coach Chris Finch might value his veteran’s experience over some of his more youthful options like Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Donte DiVincenzo.

Both players are shooting under 35% from the floor and below 28% from the perimeter in the playoffs.

Although Conley’s field goal percentage isn’t much better at 33.8%, he is shooting 34.1% on three-point attempts. But Conley has shown a more complete game with his ability to run the offense, dish out assists and contribute on the glass.

He’s averaging 7.0 rebounds + assists compared to 6.4 from DiVincenzo and just 3.5 from Alexander-Walker.

Conley has a rebounds + assists prop of 5.5 — a number he has cleared in 13 straight games on the road. If we look at his performances against OKC, Conley covered this line in four of the last six meetings.

Game 2 is an excellent spot for the Timberwolves to bounce back after losing the series opener by 26 points.

Look for Conley to lead by example and do the little things to help Minnesota get back into the series, even if he continues struggling with his shot.

Pick: Mike Conley Over 5.5 Rebounds + Assists (-138)

[anchor name=”3″][/anchor]

[subheader sizedown=”false” text=”Timberwolves vs. Thunder”][/subheader]

[gameheader haspick=”true” picktext=”Jalen Williams Over 10.5 Rebounds + Assists (+100)” league=”nba” awaylogo=”https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2023/08/nba-updated-logo-minnesota-timberwolves.png” awayname=”Minnesota Timberwolves” awayslug=”minnesota-timberwolves” homelogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/nba/100/okc.png” homename=”Oklahoma City Thunder” homeslug=”oklahoma-city-thunder” date=”Thursday, May 22″ time=”8:30 p.m. ET” network=”ESPN” bookname=”bet365″ bookprimarylogo=”https://assets.actionnetwork.com/859377_Bet365@1x.png” bookreviewslug=”bet365″][/gameheader]

By Bryan Fonseca

Jalen Williams went over this line again last game.

So, that means he has now hit this in 9 of his last 12 outings, giving this a 75 percent hit rate in the playoffs.

His misses have been nine, eight and eight, respectively.

I’ve played this almost every game in the playoffs because it’s pretty much always at either 9.5 or 10.5, and unless he slumps, I’m not moving off of it.

It’s a high floor play with a high hit rate. And because he has gotten exactly 11 in five of his nine overs — none of his last four — I would just play it at over 10.5 for now, but at the moment, you’re still getting -105, so you won’t have to worry about this line moving (yet).

Pick: Jalen Williams Over 10.5 Rebounds + Assists (+100)

[anchor name=”4″][/anchor]

[subheader sizedown=”false” text=”Timberwolves vs. Thunder”][/subheader]

[gameheader haspick=”true” picktext=”Over 214.5 (-110)” league=”nba” awaylogo=”https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2023/08/nba-updated-logo-minnesota-timberwolves.png” awayname=”Minnesota Timberwolves” awayslug=”minnesota-timberwolves” homelogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/nba/100/okc.png” homename=”Oklahoma City Thunder” homeslug=”oklahoma-city-thunder” date=”Thursday, May 22″ time=”8:30 p.m. ET” network=”ESPN” bookname=”BetMGM” bookprimarylogo=”https://assets.actionnetwork.com/779359_BetMGM800x200@1x.png” bookreviewslug=”betmgm”][/gameheader]

By Michael Fiddle

The first matchup of this series took huge sharp action to the over, moving from a consensus 214 open to a 219 close.

The readjustment back down to the opening number from Game 1 simply because it went under is wrong.

In repeat matchups, which is obviously the case in NBA playoff series, I like to play these outlier big moves back to the previous close.

Five points in the total is a reason to play the over at 214.

If Game 1 went way over and was repriced at 224 from a 219 close, I would be playing the under.

Pick: Over 214.5 (-110)

[anchor name=”5″][/anchor]

[subheader sizedown=”false” text=”Timberwolves vs. Thunder”][/subheader]

[gameheader haspick=”true” picktext=”Anthony Edwards Over 31.5 Points + Rebounds (-112)” league=”nba” awaylogo=”https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2023/08/nba-updated-logo-minnesota-timberwolves.png” awayname=”Minnesota Timberwolves” awayslug=”minnesota-timberwolves” homelogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/nba/100/okc.png” homename=”Oklahoma City Thunder” homeslug=”oklahoma-city-thunder” date=”Thursday, May 22″ time=”8:30 p.m. ET” network=”ESPN” bookname=”DraftKings ” bookprimarylogo=”https://assets.actionnetwork.com/477013_DraftKings@1x.png” bookreviewslug=”draftkings”][/gameheader]

By Joe Dellera

The Wolves struggled mightily on offense in Game 1 and Anthony Edwards never got rolling. He was 5/13 from the field and 3/8 from beyond the arc.

Edwards talked in the postgame presser about how OKC threw a variety of different coverages at him and how he may need to address this. He has struggled as a scoring threat against the Thunder throughout his career; however, his ceiling as worth tapping into in this series.

He’s averaged 20.4 FGA per game this season and that’s been static in the playoffs. The key is in each series he has improved the more he’s seen the coverages thrown at him.

He still was able to generate contact and got to the free throw line 7 times despite “only taking 13 shots (!),”  his words, not mine.

I like adding the rebounds here as well, given his extremely high floor with 7+ in five straight games against OKC.

Let’s sprinkle Series Scoring Leader at +2500 as well (a play Brandon Anderson is on too), and try to capitalize on his ceiling.

Pick: Anthony Edwards Over 31.5 Points + Rebounds (-112)

[anchor name=”6″][/anchor]

[subheader sizedown=”false” text=”Timberwolves vs. Thunder”][/subheader]

[gameheader haspick=”true” picktext=”Jaden McDaniels Over 1.5 Assists (+105)” league=”nba” awaylogo=”https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2023/08/nba-updated-logo-minnesota-timberwolves.png” awayname=”Minnesota Timberwolves” awayslug=”minnesota-timberwolves” homelogo=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/nba/100/okc.png” homename=”Oklahoma City Thunder” homeslug=”oklahoma-city-thunder” date=”Thursday, May 22″ time=”8:30 p.m. ET” network=”ESPN” bookname=”Caesars Sportsbook” bookprimarylogo=”https://assets.actionnetwork.com/256064_caesars_800x200.png” bookreviewslug=”caesars-sportsbook”][/gameheader]

By Charlie Wright

McDaniels seemed to be on his way to a massive game on Tuesday before running into foul trouble. He scored a quick 5 points and was effective as a distributor and rebounder. McDaniels fouled out in just 24 minutes, robbing us of a standout performance.

Based on the conversation brewing around the officiating in this series, specifically the generous whistle for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the refs let them play a bit more in Game 2.

As we saw against Golden State, McDaniels has 40-minute upside if he stays out of foul trouble.

McDaniels’ PRA line is down to 18.5 at some books, which is another viable option. I’m choosing to focus on the assists based on the volume we saw in Game 1.

McDaniels finished with 3 assists on 5 potential assists and 34 passes. He came into the game averaging 1.3 assists on 2.2 potential assists and 30.9 passes in the postseason.

The jump from 30.9 passes to 34 passes may seem insignificant, but the minutes are a huge factor. McDaniels was averaging 36 MPG heading into Game 1. Getting off 34 passes in 24 minutes is well above his normal pace and speaks to his offensive role in this series.

The Thunder were elite at limiting assists in the regular season, allowing the 4th fewest per game.

The main factor is their stifling defense. The Thunder actually only ranked 17th in opponent assisted field goal rate, but they’re so good at limiting scoring that they end up allowing minimal assists.

The opportunities are there – it’s just hard to cash in against them. We certainly saw that from Minnesota in Game 1. Hopefully they can knock down a few more shots in Game 2.

Pick: Jaden McDaniels Over 1.5 Assists (+105)