The Minnesota Timberwolves and the Denver Nuggets collide in a pivotal NBA playoffs Game 2 at the Ball Arena on Monday night. Here’s a Denver Nuggets vs Minnesota Timberwolves Prediction.
Minnesota Timberwolves
The Minnesota Timberwolves have yet to lose a game in the postseason and they will be full of confidence following their 106-99 win over the Nuggets in Game 1 on Saturday. Anthony Edwards led the team with 43 points, seven rebounds and three assists on 17 of 29 shooting, Karl-Anthony Towns added 20 points while Mike Conley tallied 14 points with 10 assists. As a team, the Timberwolves shot 52 percent from the field and 11 of 27 from the 3-point line as they struggled against the defense of the Nuggets and scored just 17 points in the second quarter to trail early, but they caught fire and poured in 66 points in the second half to come away with the important win to steal home-court advantage right away.
Denver Nuggets
Meanwhile, the Denver Nuggets are now hoping to avoid falling into a 2-0 series deficit after coming up flat in their loss to the Timberwolves in Game 1 on Saturday. Nikola Jokic led the team with 32 points, eight rebounds and nine assists, Michael Porter Jr added 20 points with six rebounds and three steals while Jamal Murray chipped in with 17 points, but no other player finished in double figures in scoring. As a team, the Nuggets shot 46 percent from the field and 13 of 31 from the 3-point line as they did a great job to keep the Timberwolves in check for most of the first half, but the Nuggets needed more from their bench players and they need to figure out a way to slow down the Timberwolves’ Edwards who torched them for 43 points.
Why the Denver Nuggets will win
- The Nuggets have won each of their last 20 Monday games at Ball Arena.
- The Timberwolves have lost four of their five previous playoff road games against Northwest Division opponents following a win.
- The Nuggets have covered the spread in nine of their last 10 games following a home loss.
Why the Minnesota Timberwolves will win
- The Timberwolves have won four of their last five playoff games as underdogs.
- The Nuggets have lost three of their last four Western Conference Semifinals games as favorites against Northwest Division opponents.
- The Timberwolves have covered the spread in each of their last seven playoff games.
- The Nuggets have failed to cover the spread in each of their last five games against Northwest Division opponents following a loss.
Total Points Facts
- Eight of the Nuggets’ last nine playoff games have gone UNDER the total points line.
- Nine of the Timberwolves’ last 11 games as underdogs following a road win have gone OVER the total points line.
Denver Nuggets vs Minnesota Timberwolves Prediction
The Timberwolves were able to take control of the series right away with a solid road win on the back of a monster night from Edwards. Now there is an injury cloud hanging over the Nuggets’ Jamal Murray, who is dealing with a left calf strain. The momentum is certainly with the Timberwolves at the moment, but the Nuggets are still the defending champs, and they are playing at home, so I’m expecting a real bounce-back performance from their role players in this one. The line is a bit higher than I was expecting, but I’m assuming that Murray plays for the Nuggets, who respond with a big win at home to square up the series at 1-1.