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There is just one game on the NBA playoffs schedule for Tuesday, May 12, but it is a pivotal Game 5 contest between the Minnesota Timberwolves and San Antonio Spurs. The Timberwolves opened this series with a win before the Spurs took the next two games. Minnesota won Game 4 to level this series at 2-2, taking advantage of Victor Wembanyama being ejected after the unanimous Defensive Player of the Year committed a Flagrant 2 foul on Naz Reid in the second quarter.

Wembanyama won't be suspended and is available for Game 5, while De'Aaron Fox is questionable after playing through an ankle injury for portions of Game 4. Edwards is officially off the injury report and is unlikely to have a minutes restriction after logging 40+ minutes in each of the last two games.

We'll take a look at the best bets for Tuesday's Game 5 between the Timberwolves and Spurs using odds from FanDuel Sportsbook and recommendations from the SportsLine Projection Model. The model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in betting profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past eight-plus seasons. 

The model entered the second week of the second round of the 2026 NBA playoffs on a sizzling 26-9 roll (74%) on top-rated NBA spread picks this season. Anyone following its NBA betting advice at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen huge returns.

See the FanDuel promo code for a new-user offer before placing bets on Timberwolves vs. Spurs Game 5 on Tuesday.

NBA Playoffs picks, best bets for Tuesday, May 12

Timberwolves +10.5

The Spurs destroyed the Timberwolves in Game 2 in what was a must-win contest for San Antonio to avoid a 2-0 hole. Minnesota has covered this line in every other game, winning two outright. The Timberwolves have overcome some personnel losses and are adjusting to not having sharpshooter Donte DiVincenzo in the lineup, but Edwards being at 100% makes a big difference here. The SportsLine model has Minnesota covering the spread in 55% of simulations.

Over 218.5

The first game went Under this line, thanks in large part to some poor shooting from both teams. The next three contests have all gone Over this mark. San Antonio went 36-46 to the Over during the regular season but is 4-5 to the Over in the playoffs. The Timberwolves are getting their usual production from Edwards, which has boosted their overall offense. The Over hits in 55.2% of model simulations.

Anthony Edwards Over 26.5 points

Even with the double teams and San Antonio's top perimeter defenders denying him the ball, Edwards simply finds a way to score. He's topped 30 points in each of the last two games and has shed whatever limitations he had early in the series. The road environment might add a challenge, but Edwards isn't fazed by that, especially in the playoffs. Expect him to maintain his shooting volume and top this line on Tuesday. The SportsLine props model has him getting 27 points in Game 5.

Stephon Castle Over 24.5 points + assists

Castle should see more usage, even if Fox's ankle checks out. The second-year guard has emerged as a all-around scoring threat, shooting 45.7% from the floor and 40% from 3-point range. He's averaging 17.8 points per game in this series and is coming off a 20-point effort in Game 4. Castle's assist rate is a bit low, but he did have 12 assists in Game 3 and has never logged less than four assists in any game in this series. He's projected for 25.8 points + assists in SportsLine's props model and should hit that mark, especially if Fox is limited in any way.