Minnesota at San Antonio

Kudos to the battered Timberwolves for taking out the Nuggets despite multiple injuries. But now things get even more difficult for Minnesota, meeting the Spurs in the next round of the NBA playoffs. It is not enough for the Timberwolves to be missing superstar scorer Anthony Edwards and point guard Donte DiVincenzo; now the team could also be without Ayo Dosunmu. Those three players averaged more than a combined 45 points a game during the regular season. Dosunmu, who has a calf injury, is averaging 21.8 points a game in the playoffs. Led by Defensive Player of the Year Victor Wembanyama, the Spurs are a top-three defensive team. San Antonio held Portland to an average of 100 points in winning their first-round series against the Trailblazers in five games. The Timberwolves go from playing a bad defensive team lacking rim protection in the Nuggets to Wembanyama and the Spurs, who had the second-best record in the NBA at 62-20. Minnesota has its own excellent rim protector in Rudy Gobert, who made things tough on Nikola Jokic. It's a letdown spot for the Timberwolves following their upset of the Nuggets. But defensive intensity will be high for both teams, especially at the beginning. Take the Spurs and the First-Half UNDER.