Sunday night will feature a battle of Western Conference foes as the Denver Nuggets (37-16) take on the Minnesota Timberwolves (28-27). The Timberwolves will host this one at the Target Center, with tipoff scheduled for 7:00 pm ET.
It will be the second game of a back-to-back for the Nuggets after they beat the Atlanta Hawks 128-108 on Saturday. In the victory, Jamal Murray had a game-high 41 points, while Nikola Jokić had a triple-double with 14 points, 18 rebounds, and 10 assists.
For Minnesota, they come into this one off of a loss in their last outing. In their 127-120 home loss to the Orlando Magic, guard D’Angelo Russell led the team with 29 points and 10 rebounds.
The Nuggets are just slight favorites in this one playing on the road. They are -120 to win, while the Timberwolves’ moneyline sits at +102. The spread features Minnesota as a 1.5-point underdog (-110).
Nuggets Look To Improve To Over .500 On The Road
As good as the Denver Nuggets have been this year, they have been much better at home (25-4) than on the road (12-12). As they travel to Minnesota for their second game in as many nights, they will also look to push their road record over .500.
Luckily, they have played amazingly against Western Conference foes. As they sit with a 4.5-game lead for the top spot in the West, their record versus conference opponents is a staggering 27-10.
Denver currently ranks fifth in the league in scoring, averaging 117 points per game (113.1 on the road). They are led by perennial MVP candidate Nikola Jokić, averaging 25 points, 11.1 rebounds, 10.1 assists, and 1.4 steals per game.
Aside from Jokić, other players who have made a major impact include Jamal Murray (19.8 points, 4.1 rebounds, 5.8 assists), Aaron Gordon (16.8 points, 6.8 rebounds), and Michael Porter Jr (16.2 points, 5.6 rebounds). Defensively, Denver ranks 13th overall, allowing opponents an average of 112.8 points per game (116.8 on the road).
Timberwolves Look To Overcome Injuries To Make Push In The West
At 28-27, the Timberwolves sit in the middle of a crowded Western Conference. They sit just three games behind third place in the conference, but they also sit just 2.5 games ahead of 13th place.
With so much congestion in the conference, they can’t be thrilled with their injury situation. Karl-Anthony Towns remains out with a calf injury, while both Rudy Gobert (groin) and Kyle Anderson (back) are questionable for this one. Furthermore, Austin Rivers remains out for the next few games while he serves a suspension.
Especially if Gobert doesn’t play, that leaves just Anthony Edwards (24.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, 4.6 assists) and D’Angelo Russell (18.1 points, 6.2 assists) as the two primary options for the club.
Minnesota ranks just 19th in scoring defense, allowing opponents an average of 115.2 points per game. On offense, they rank 10th, averaging 115.2 points per game (117.2 at home).
Keep Track Of Injury Report Heading Into This One
This is one of those games where it is critical to keep an eye on the injury report ahead of game time. Currently holding a comfortable lead in the West and being the second of a back-to-back, it wouldn’t be shocking to see the Nuggets rest some of their stars.
For instance, if Jokić were to be out in this one, there could be a lot of value in taking Minnesota and the points. On the flip side, if Jokić is in, but Gobert is out, the Timberwolves could be in a lot of trouble.
Still, as it stands at the time of this writing, there is a lot of value in taking the Nuggets despite their road woes.
Laying just 1.5 points, take Denver to win and cover (-110) in this one.
