NBA Western Conference Round 2 Mid-Round Update and Predictions

There are four teams remaining in the Western Conference playoffs, and two matchups will decide who will reach the Western Conference Finals: Timberwolves vs. Nuggets and Mavericks vs. Thunder. I believe that these series will be very entertaining, and both have the potential to reach seven games. 

2. Nuggets vs. 3. Timberwolves

This series is already two games deep, with the Timberwolves taking both games on the road in Denver. The Timberwolves swept the Suns in the first round in a series that many thought would be way more competitive. The Suns big three was not enough for the defensive dominance and the scoring efficiency of Anthony Edwards. Edwards has emerged in this year's playoffs as one of the premier playoff performers and scorers in the league, through this series he is averaging 32.3 points per game in the playoffs and 35 points per game in this series, and he is a huge reason why the Timberwolves stole two games on the road from the defending champs. The T-Wolves need to keep their foot on the gas in order to win this series. They have a massive advantage right now, and with two games coming up at home, they have a chance to sweep the Nuggets. On the other side of the matchup, the Nuggets are in a deep hole. After beating the Lebron James-led Los Angeles Lakers in five games, they were looking to get off to a hot start against an outstanding Minnesota team. That is the exact opposite of what they did. They lost a tight game one and then got absolutely blown out in game two 106-80 was the score. It was only the second this year that they had scored less than 85 points. A huge reason for this is the fact that the dynamic duo of Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic combined for just 24 points. Murray has been one of the best playoff performers in recent memory, yet he has not scored 17 points in a game this series. He needs to be playing at an elite level for the Nuggets to pull off this comeback, and he needs to shoot better 3-18 from the field.  Many, including me, thought this would be the best series of this round and maybe the best of the entire playoffs, but so far it is not looking like it will live up to those expectations. My prediction is that the Timberwolves will win in six games.

1. Thunder vs. 5. Mavericks

Both of these teams dominated their first-round matchups, the Thunder sweeping the Pelicans and the Mavericks convincingly beating the Clippers in six games. This series, similar to the Knicks and Pacers, will be a matchup of elite guard play. Luka Doncic of the Mavs and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Thunder. Both of these guys were top three in MVP voting, and in my opinion Luka was robbed of his first MVP award. Both Luka and Shai have played well in these playoffs, but both have seen their scoring averages drop considerably these playoffs. This series will be very entertaining, but I think the Thunder will pull it out in seven games. I just think the supporting cast around SGA is better than the supporting cast around Luka, and that will be the difference in this series.