Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Denver Nuggets Odds, Picks & Predictions
A pair of Northwest Division squads continue their NBA first-round series on the floor in the Mile-High City as the Minnesota Timber take on the Denver Nuggets in Game 2 of their best-of-seven series Monday night and we break down the Timberwolves vs. Nuggets matchup here. These teams opened their first-round series in Denver Saturday afternoon with the Nuggets picking up a 116-105 home victory. Additionally, they covered the line as a seven-point favorite in that contest.
In the all-time regular season series between the teams, Denver has a 92-61 advantage. This season, the Nuggets took three of four meetings in the regular season. Minnesota picked up a 117-108 road win in the last matchup March 1. Meanwhile, this marks the fourth postseason series between the teams with the Timberwolves taking two of the first three series though each team has nine wins. As a result, this win breaks the head-to-head playoff wins deadlock. Let’s break down this Timberwolves vs. Nuggets matchup.
Timberwolves Looking to Square Series
Minnesota started strong in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series with the Nuggets but couldn’t maintain that momentum. The Timberwolves need to rebound with a win here to avoid a 2-0 hole before returning home. Minnesota was up 10 after the opening quarter only to get outscored 68-46 in the middle two stanzas. They got within two midway through the fourth quarter but couldn’t complete the comeback. Despite shooting seven of 22 from the floor, Anthony Edwards paced the Timberwolves with 22 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in the loss.
For the year, Minnesota is 7th in the league in scoring offense with 118 points per game. The Timberwolves stand 13th in rebounding by pulling down 44.1 boards a contest. They are 16th in assists by handing out 26.1 dimes a contest. Minnesota has been above average on the defensive end of the floor as they are 12th in scoring defense by allowing 114.6 points per game. Anthony Edwards leads the team in scoring as he averages 28.8 points and five rebounds per contest. Julius Randle (21.1 points, 6.7 rebounds) is a solid secondary scoring option.
The Timberwolves are 9th in the league in field goal percentage as they hit 48.1% from the floor. Minnesota is 14th by splashing 13.8 three-pointers a night. They are 6th in three-point shooting by hitting 37% from beyond the arc. Conversely, the Timberwolves are a below average team at the charity stripe. They are just 29th by converting 75.2% of their attempts on the year.
Key Injury Report for Timberwolves:
- Guard Anthony Edwards (knee) is questionable.
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Denver shook off their slow start in Game 1 of their series Saturday afternoon before rallying to earn their first win of the postseason. The Nuggets trailed by 10 after the opening quarter, even at the half and led by 12 after three quarters. Denver saw their lead sliced to two but regrouped to pull away for the win. The Nuggets were led by Jamal Murray, who had 30 points, in the victory. Nikola Jokic posted a triple-double with 25 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists in the game.
On the year, Denver is 1st in the league in scoring offense with an average of 122.1 points per game this season. The Nuggets are 14th in rebounding by collecting 44 boards per contest. They are 4th by dishing out an average of 29 assists a night. Denver stands 21st in scoring defense as they give up an average of 116.9 points a night. Nikola Jokic is leading the team in scoring with 27.7 points, 12.9 rebounds and 10.7 assists a night this season. Jamal Murray (25.4 points, 7.1 assists) and Aaron Gordon (16.2 points, 5.8 rebounds) provide secondary scoring punch.
The Nuggets are 2nd in the league in field goal percentage as they shoot 49.6% from the floor. Denver is 11th as they connect on 14.2 three-pointers a night. The team is 1st in the league as they knock down 39.6% of their attempts from beyond the arc. In addition, the Nuggets are 5th in the league in free throw shooting as they cash in 80.8% of their attempts on the season.
Key Injury Report for Nuggets:
- Guard Peyton Watson (hamstring) is out.
Timberwolves vs. Nuggets Prediction
Minnesota had their chances in the opener but couldn’t sustain their strong start. As a result, they ended up falling by double figures and find themselves down 1-0 in the series. Therefore, the Timberwolves now have to try and prevail in a hostile environment facing a 2-0 hole if they fall here. Edwards’ popping up on the injury report is cause for concern. He struggled to a seven of 22 shooting performance in the opener. Furthermore, Minnesota was hurt at the line as they were 14 of 19 to Denver’s 30 of 33. In addition, the Timberwolves have yet to slow Jokic this season and playing on the road, give the edge to the Nuggets.
Our Prediction: Nuggets -6.5 (FanDuel, -110)
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