What is the old phrase?...Familiarity breeds contempt? Yes, and tt certainly can be applied to the Western Conference series between the Denver Nuggets and the Minnesota Timberwolves. This is the third time in the last four years they are meeting in the playoffs. The latest iteration continues tonight with Game 3 of their Western Conference first round series.
Last postseason these teams entertained us with a thrilling seven-game series in the Western Conference Semis with Minnesota prevailing 4-3. The Timberwolves took Games 6 and 7 to advance to the conference finals. In 2023 Denver won in the Opening Round against Minnesota taking the best-of-seven series in five games, 4-1. Minnesota has won nine of their 17 playoff games overall against Denver.
Monday night saw the Nuggets blow an early 20-point lead at home and eventually lose to the Timberwolves, 119-114. Anthony Edwards poured in 30 points to leads Minnesota’s attack. Naz Reid added 27 and Julius Randle added 24 to help support the comeback. Nikola Jokic was just OK for Denver putting up what for him was a pedestrian stat line of 24 points, 15 rebounds, and 8 assists in the loss.
Game 3 more than likely comes down to how efficiently the Nuggets are on offense vs. Minnesota’s ability to shut down the perimeter defensively. Jamal Murray has done whatever he wants to this point. That needs to stop for Minnesota to win and grab the upper hand in this series.
Lets take a closer look at tonight’s matchup and take into consideration lineups, injuries, and other factors affecting the line and total.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on how to catch tipoff, odds courtesy of DraftKings recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
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The latest odds as of Thursday courtesy of DraftKings:
Moneyline: Minnesota Timberwolves (+114), Denver Nuggets (-135)
This game opened Nuggets -1.5 with the Game Total set at 231.5.
Be sure to check out DraftKings for all the latest game odds & player props for every matchup this week on the NBA schedule!
Anthony Edwards (knee) is listed as probable for tonight’s game
Peyton Watson (hamstring) has been declared OUT of tonight’s game
The OVER has cashed in 53 of the Nuggets’ 84 games this season (53-31)
The OVER has cashed in 38 of the Timberwolves’ 84 games this season (38-46)
Christian Braun is 3-6 from 3-point range in this series
Cam Johnson is 3-13 from 3-point range in this series
Donte DiVincenzo is 8-14 from 3-point range in this series
Rudy Gobert is averaging 8.5 rebounds per game in this series