The Spurs and Timberwolves meet Friday night in a Game 6 matchup with a spot in the next round on the line.
San Antonio enters with a chance to close out the series, while Minnesota returns home looking to force a decisive Game 7.
The breakout star of this series so far has been Spurs rookie Dylan Harper, who is playing his best basketball of the season on the biggest stage.
The Rutgers product is averaging 14.6 points per game on 54 percent shooting off the bench over the first five games against the Wolves, but he’s quietly making a major impact in another area of his game.
Harper has been a beast on the boards for San Antonio, providing a nice complement to Victor Wembanyama against a massive Minnesota team that was one of the best rebounding clubs in the league during the regular season.
He has displayed the same knack for the ball that helped him become the No. 2 overall pick in last year’s draft, averaging 6.4 rebounds per game in just 24.6 minutes a contest.
In Game 5, Harper pulled down 10 rebounds, including five key offensive boards, to help the Spurs pull away with a 126-97 victory that moved them within one win of the Western Conference finals.
Oddsmakers apparently have not gotten the memo about Harper’s rebounding prowess.
Despite going over this number in all five games of the series, Vegas bookies have pegged Harper’s rebound over/under at just 3.5, although the juice is on the over.
Betting on the NBA?
With Mitch Johnson’s trust in Harper growing, look for the rookie to get plenty of minutes to hit the over once again on Friday night.
The play: Dylan Harper Over 3.5 rebounds (-130, BetRivers Sportsbook)
Why Trust New York Post Betting
Dylan Svoboda is a versatile writer and analyst across many sports. He’s particularly knowledgeable about the big three — MLB, the NFL and the NBA.
