Mavs vs. Timberwolves: Results, stats, betting outcomes for Luka Doncic and the Mavs' big Game 1 win

The Mavericks upset the Wolves 108-105 and stole home-court advantage in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals in Minnesota on Wednesday.

Sporting News' betting team also had a winning night, hitting on a bunch of pregame and in-game bets in our BetMGM live betting blog. 

Updated NBA championship odds, best bets:
Finals odds | Can Luka be stopped? | Can Indy knock off the Celts?

Unfamiliar with the Sporting News' BetMGM live betting blog? Well, let's get you apprised! Every week, we choose one game to focus on exclusively, providing betting lines, odds, picks, advice, and updates before and during the game. 

As they did all season, the Sporting News' live betting blogs continue to highlight the best bets on BetMGM in the best games of the postseason. It's like a waterfall of winning as we dash toward the NBA championship. 

Keep reading below to see how our best bets fared this evening, and to see how the game and the betting odds ended up shaking out.

Mavs vs. Timberwolves: Game 1 score, highlights

Mavs vs. Timberwolves Game 1 score

Luka Doncic (DAL): 33 points, 8 assists, 6 rebounds
Kyrie Irving (DAL): 30 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists

Jaden McDaniels (MIN): 24 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists
Anthony Edwards (MIN): 19 points, 11 rebounds, 8 assists

Mavs. vs. Wolves Game 1 updates, live betting advice

As indicated by the timestamps, these updates and betting recommendations were made during the game.

11:00: It's a wrap! The Mavs won the second, third, and fourth quarters and stun the Wolves on their own floor with the outright upset. Great evening for Sporting News' betting team! Full results coming. 

10:23: As expected, this game has tightened up significantly! Looks like we could be in for a photo-finish! The live-score OVER of 217.5 could be worth a modest wager, as the scoring in this frame should greatly exceed the 44 points we just saw in the third. Fifty-three in the fourth seems like a layup. 

9:36: Dallas closes out the half on a 5-0 run and — just like that — the score is 62-59 Minnesota. Kyrie is on a heater with 24 points, Luka has 14, P.J. Washington has eight and no other Mav has more than five. The Wolves, meanwhile, got 19 from Jaden McDaniels and 11 from Kyle Anderson. Ant-man has 13. This still feels like a game Dallas can steal (+160). As Irving alluded to earlier, Minnesota just came off a Game 7 and it's on the Mavs to put the pressure on their tired legs. JMC can't keep up a 10-of-12 three-point pace, nor will Dallas finish this game 4-of-26 from outside.

9:12: The Mavs are getting 6.5 points on the live spread (-114). That seems like strong value, especially with Luka and Kyrie hot and nobody else on Dallas really even getting going yet. Once those two get their teammates rolling, this should be a much closer game than the current 39-32 score — and the majority of the start of this game — might suggest.

9:06 p.m.: The Wolves got out to a great start, putting 33 points on the board in the first frame. Minnesota is shooting 56.5 percent from three, they're leading the fast-break battle 10-0, and they have hit 7-of-12 three-pointers. This pace is completely unsustainable, so now seems like a great time to bet the live UNDER of 217.5 (-110). 

Mavs vs. Timberwolves Game 1 betting results

Here's a complete rundown of our best bets, both before the game and during the live betting window. 

Pregame bets:

• Luka Doncic OVER 28.5 points (-110): ✅ (33)
• Mavericks +4.5 at Wolves (-115): ✅ (108-105)
• Mavs at Wolves: UNDER 207.5: ❌ (213)
• Naz Reid OVER 9.5 points (-120): ✅ (15)
• Derrick Jones Jr. OVER 0.5 blocks (-160): ❌ (0)

Live bets: 

• Mavs at Wolves live UNDER 217.5 (-110): ✅ (213)
• Mavs +6.5 live spread at Wolves (-114): ✅ (108-105)
• Mavs live moneyline at Wolves (+160): ✅ 
• Mavs at Wolves live OVER 217.5 (-110): ❌ (213)

Final score: 6-3 — should have stuck with our guns and stayed UNDER 217.5. The Mavs' defense just keeps showing up!

Mavs vs. Timberwolves Game 1 best bets

These bets were recommended prior to the 8:35 p.m. ET tipoff 

Luka Doncic points: OVER 28.5 (-110)

Last year, Nikola Jokic responded to not winning MVP by storming through the West on a 16-4 postseason run and winning MVP of both the Western Conference Finals and the NBA Finals. This time, it might be Luka Doncic's turn to do the same.

Nobody averaged more points per game on the road this season than Luka's 33.5. And Minnesota's top-ranked defense only seemed to motivate him more, as he averaged a whopping 36.5 PPG over his two games against the Wolves.

Twenty-nine seems like a gift here. Doncic has scored 60 points over his past two games, he's averaging 29.8 points per road game in the playoffs, and nobody on the Wolves can guard him.

Mavericks +4.5 at Wolves (-115)

The Western Conference semifinals proved that the Mavericks are better on the road than the Wolves are at home. Dallas stole Games 2 and 5 in Oklahoma City by a combined 21 points, led by Doncic and his combined 60 points, 21 rebounds, and 17 assists.

Doncic also benefits from having all-time clutch postseason player Kyrie Irving as a running mate, and multiple complementary scoring pieces around them like the emergent P.J. Washington and lob threats Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively. 

Minnesota has a heck of a defense, but its offense has been inconsistent. Matching up against a Dallas defense that has grown by leaps and bounds since the start of the season, the Wolves should have trouble running away from the Mavs in Game 1. Four-and-a-half points seems like too many to give to a confident, gritty, Mavs team with scoring chops and rim protection. Consider betting on the underdogs to cover. 

betmgm_colored

BETMGM, AN AUTHORIZED GAMING OPERATOR OF THE NBA.

PLAY NOW

Mavs at Wolves: UNDER 207.5 (-110)

All signs point to the UNDER here. Both these squads just used up a bunch of energy to get past two of the best four teams in the league. Both teams also have elite defense, seemingly contesting every shot and making the lives of ball-handlers extremely difficult.

Don't expect fireworks in this one. Denver set a blueprint for Dallas to follow: Blitz Anthony Edwards and force "the others" to come up big for the Wolves. Even in victory, Minnesota couldn't reach 100 points in Game 7. Expect a hard-fought contest that leads to a much lower over/under ahead of Game 2.

Naz Reid points: OVER 9.5 (-120)

Reid has provided the Wolves with a much-needed spark off the bench multiple times this postseason, and he has scored in double-digits in three of Minnesota's past four games. His activity alone is contagious, crashing the boards and hustling for loose balls to give his squad an effort advantage.

Big men with big energy and moxie tend to get rewarded by teammates, and Chris Finch and company know that Reid must continue to contribute in the scoring department for the Wolves to have any chance of making the NBA Finals.

Derrick Jones Jr. blocks: OVER 0.5 (-160)

You have to scroll way down the player prop offerings for this hidden gem, and don't be discouraged by the juiced-up -160 once you find it. Jones Jr. has been playing crazy minutes for Dallas this postseason, and he should be an instrumental part of the Mavs' containment strategy with Anthony Edwards.

DJJ also has such ridiculous hops that he's more than capable of helping big men Gafford, Washington, and Lively if they need it on the block against Minnesota's triple-tower threat. The veteran small forward has at least one rejection in three straight games and six blocks total during that span.