The Minnesota Timberwolves can take a 3-0 lead in a playoff series for the first time in franchise history when they square off against the Phoenix Suns on Friday in Game 3 at the Footprint Center in Phoenix. In Game 2 on Tuesday, the Timberwolves took a 2-0 lead in the series with a 105-93 victory. The franchise has held a 2-0 series lead only one other time, against Denver in the first round in 2004.

Tip-off is scheduled for 10:30 p.m. ET. Phoenix is listed as a 5.5-point favorite in the latest Suns vs. Timberwolves odds while the over/under for total points scored is 208. (See up-to-date odds for every game this week on our NBA odds page.)

Before making any Timberwolves vs. Suns picks or NBA predictions, be sure to check out what SportsLine's advanced computer model has to say.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past five-plus seasons. The model enters the second week of the 2024 NBA playoffs on a sizzling 90-58 roll on all top-rated NBA picks this season, returning more than $2,800. Anyone following the model has seen huge returns.

The model knows that Minnesota is the best defensive team in the league. Led by defensive anchors Rudy Gobert and Jaden McDaniels, the Timberwolves allowed 108.4 points per 100 possessions during the regular season, which led the NBA. Through two playoff games they've held the Suns to 94.0 points per game, which is well shy of their season average of 116.2.

The model also has taken into account that despite the results of the first two games of the series, Phoenix knows it owned Minnesota during the regular season, winning all three matchups between the teams. In those three games, the Suns' margin of victory was 15.7 points. That includes a 19-point win in Minneapolis in the regular season finale when the Timberwolves could've locked up the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference playoffs with a victory.

The model has simulated Suns vs. Timberwolves 10,000 times, and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is leaning Over on the point total, and it also says one side of the spread hits nearly 70% of the time.

Who wins Timberwolves vs. Suns, and which side of the spread hits nearly 70% of the time? ... Join SportsLine right now to find out which side of the spread you should be all over, all from the model on a 90-58 roll on top-rated NBA picks.