Denver Nuggets at Minnesota Timberwolves Betting Preview
The 28-21 Nuggets are coming off a 36 point win on Sunday and will look to have another dominant performance as they head to Minnesota to face the 25-25 Timberwolves, who won their last game by 20 points. Both teams will be looking to move up in the standings before the All-Star break starts. So which team has the best chance of winning?
A Look at the Nuggets
The Nuggets have been on a nice streak their last ten games, going 8-2 in that stretch. The Nuggets have also been playing well on the road, going 15-12 this season. While they are in fifth place in the NBA standings, they will be looking to move up in the standings to make it to the NBA Finals later in the year.
That is a different story when it comes to betting on the Nuggets. The Nuggets are 20-28-1 against the spread this year, with a record of 11-15-1 on the road against the spread. However, the Nuggets usually take the over, as their over/under record is 27-22, with the Nuggets having a record on the road of 14-13.
A Look at the Timberwolves
While the Timberwolves are coming off a win into this game, their last ten games have seen the team go 5-5, which has been a theme for the team this year. As an average team this year, the Timberwolves won’t be making the NBA playoffs unless they can make a significant turnaround. The only bright spot for the Timberwolves is that they play slightly better at home, going 14-10 at home for the season.
On the betting side with the Timberwolves, they are pretty average there as well too. The Timberwolves are 24-25-1 for the season against the spread and are average against the spread at home, going 12-12 at home.
Looking at the Timberwolves record with the over/under, they do better, having a 29-21 record, making them favorites for the over. However, the Timberwolves usually take the under at home, having a home record of 10-14 with the over/under.
Keys to the Game
For the Nuggets to keep up their current streak, they will have to repeat their Sunday night game performance where they shot 60 percent from the field and nailed 23 three-point shots. While the Timberwolves are currently a .500 team and are also .500 in their last ten games, those five wins came in the last eight games.
The Timberwolves will need Karl-Anthony Towns to have a repeat performance of his Sunday night outing that saw him hit a triple-double of 31 points, 11 rebounds, and ten assists.
Some key players for the Nuggets, like Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr., will be out for the game, while Nikola Jokic and DeMarcus Cousins are listed as questionable for the game tonight. On the Timberwolves side of the ball, they have four players listed as questionable for the game. Those four players are D’Angelo Russell, Leandro Bolmaro, Partick Beverley, and Josh Okogie.
The Pick for the Game
The Timberwolves snapped a 12 game losing streak against the Nuggets with a 124-107 win in Denver back in December. That performance has put the Timberwolves as a 3.5 point favorite at home against the Nuggets.
However, the Nuggets will look to go back to their winning ways against the Timberwolves, making the Nuggets the pick on the moneyline for this game. With an over/under set at around 231.5 points, the under looks to be the best choice for this game.
