NBA

Nuggets vs. Timberwolves: Preview, Prediction, and Betting Lines

Lou Ramon Aguila Sports Editor

Updated3 hours ago on April 24, 2024

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The Minnesota Timberwolves will be getting another chance to turn doubters into believers in their next game. This Sunday, they will be hosting one of the Western Conference elites, the Denver Nuggets, at Target Center. BetOnline odds are posted below.

Game Information

Start time: 9:00 p.m. ET

Location: Target Center; Minneapolis, Minnesota

TV channels: NBA League Pass, Bally Sports North, Altitude

Radio broadcast: KKFN, KKSE, WCCO

Live stream: fuboTV (seven-day free trial)

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Denver Nuggets vs. Minnesota Timberwolves Betting Lines

Point Spread: Nuggets +1.5

Moneyline: Nuggets +105, Wolves -125

Total: O/U 219

Denver Nuggets vs. Minnesota Timberwolves Team News

With Nikola Jokic mending a minor knee injury, the star’s absence presents an opportunity for Michael Porter Jr. to go off. It appears that’s also the wish of Nuggets head coach Mike Malone, Mike Singer of The Denver Post writes. Many picked the young forward to improve on his stats from last season. Instead, Porter struggled through the first five games, averaging 11.5 points on 34.6 percent FG shooting.

The Wolves are searching for the perfect balance despite winning three of their first four games. Chris Hine of the Star Tribune explains why Minnesota can play even better once they shoot the ball better and minimize turnovers. The team is shooting 42.6 percent from the field and turning the ball over 16.3 times a game. While Karl Anthony Towns, D’Angelo Russell and Anthony Edwards are pumping up huge numbers, head coach Chris Finch believes they need to get other players involved.

“Kat, Ant, D-Lo, they have the license to break the offense, if you will, or be aggressive within it is probably a better way to put it. They can’t just always live off doing it with the first pass or first action, and I think that’s where we’re living right now,” Finch stressed,

Denver Nuggets vs. Minnesota Timberwolves Injury Report

Nuggets: Nikola Jokic – Probable (Knee), Jamal Murray – OUT (Knee), Vlatko Cancar – OUT (Hip)

Timberwolves: No Reported Injuries

Denver Nuggets vs. Minnesota Timberwolves Preview

On Friday, the Nuggets bounced back from a 110-122 loss to the Utah Jazz to clobber the Dallas Mavericks, 106-75. Jokic played 25 minutes and flirted with a triple-double, tallying 11 points, 16 rebounds, and 8 assists despite a bruised knee. Will Barton led the team in scoring with 17 while Jeff Green added 14 markers off the bench.

Meanwhile, last Wednesday, the Wolves came off a statement win over the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks, 113-108. As expected, the Wolves Big Three came through with big numbers on the road, enough to neutralize another 40-point performance from Giannis Antetokounmpo. Russell posted 29 points on 12-for-25 shooting, while Towns and Edwards chipped in 25 apiece.

Last season, the Nuggets swept the Wolves in all three regular-season games, averaging 120.3 points on efficient 49.4 percent shooting.

Denver Nuggets vs. Minnesota Timberwolves Predictions

After becoming one of the best offensive teams last season, Denver’s scoring has taken a step back this year. The team is averaging 103 points per game, which is good for 23rd in the league. Murray, who is still recovering from an ACL injury, would have given the Nuggets another legitimate consistent scoring threat outside Jokic. Nevertheless, the coaching staff is confident Porter will eventually end his shooting slump and contribute the numbers many expected him to produce.

The Wolves show signs of a top-heavy squad with Towns, Russell, and Edwards carrying the bulk of the scoring load every game. Minnesota is posting 107.7 points per game on a 42.5 percent FG clip. Moreover, the team shows signs of improvement on the defensive end based on four-game sample size. So far, they are holding teams to just 102.5 points per game on 41.5 percent FG shooting and 28.5 percent from beyond the arc.

Wolves’ fans should expect their Big 3 to put up strong numbers across the boards since the Nuggets don’t have elite defenders at their position. Speaking of defense, Minnesota showed in the win vs. the Mavs that they could play stifling defense. Will they carry that over to their next game? It seems like they can.