The Denver Nuggets are still in the hunt for the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference. They visit Target Center in Minneapolis on Thursday night, so I bring you the best Nuggets vs. Timberwolves betting pick along with the latest odds update on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Denver is listed as a 5.5-point fave with a total of 235.5 points. The Nuggets hope to sweep the Timberwolves for the third straight season and tally their 11th straight victory over Minnesota.
Nikola Jokic’s 30-point display helped the Nuggets to stop a two-game slide
The Denver Nuggets (45-24; 32-37 ATS) bounced back from a couple of tough losses to Brooklyn 125-119 and Utah 127-120 with a 117-112 victory at Charlotte this past Tuesday. Nikola Jokic accounted for 30 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists, while Michael Porter Jr. also scored 30 points to go with six boards and a couple of steals.
Jokic and Porter Jr. have led the way for the Nuggets since Jamal Murray’s injury. The Joker is a runaway fave to win the MVP Award, while Porter Jr. has been averaging 27.1 points a night over his last ten outings.
The Nuggets have already clinched the No. 4 seed in the West, but they can still surpass the third-seeded Clippers who are one game ahead. Denver owns a tie-breaker with the Clippers, so the Nuggets will try their best to win their last three contests of the regular season. After Thursday’s clash against the T-Wolves, they will visit Detroit and Portland.
The Timberwolves have been balling lately, winning six of their last nine games
The Minnesota Timberwolves (22-47; 32-35-2 ATS) have surprised many over the last few weeks, going 6-3 straight up and ATS in their previous nine showings at any location including a couple of wins over the mighty Utah Jazz.
The T-Wolves have won two straight games and are coming off a 119-100 thrashing of the Detroit Pistons on the road. Karl-Anthony Towns dominated in the Motor City with 28 points, eight rebounds, and five assists, while the Timberwolves forced a whopping 28 turnovers.
Minnesota is out of the playoff contention, sitting at the 13th spot of the Western Conference standings, 12.5 games behind the play-in spot and the 10th-seeded San Antonio Spurs. The Timberwolves are without Malik Beasley (hamstring) and Jarrett Culver (ankle), but D’Angelo Russell, Anthony Edwards, and KAT are all ready to go.
Trends:
Denver:
- 6-2 ATS in the last eight road games as favorites of 5.5 or more points
Minnesota:
- 4-10 ATS in the last 14 home game as underdogs of 5.5 or more points
Back in January, the Nuggets beat the Timberwolves twice in three days, 124-109 as 8.5-point road favorites and 123-116 as 10.5-point home favorites. I’m expecting another win Thursday, though the Timberwolves will be keen to finally snap their skid against the Nuggets.
As I’ve mentioned, the Timberwolves have been playing well recently. Still, the stake is huge for the Nuggets who certainly possess enough firepower to outlast Minnesota. The Timberwolves have the fourth-worst defensive rating in the NBA (114.8 points allowed per 100 possessions), while the Nuggets own the fifth-best offensive rating in the league (117.2).
Pick: Take Denver Nuggets -5.5 at -110
The Total:
We should see a high-scoring affair, but the line at 235.5 points makes this wager quite tough. The last three encounters between Denver and Minnesota went in the over, and two of those three games produced more than 235 points in total, so I’m going with the over.
The Nuggets prefer to play at a slow pace, but the Timberwolves will push the tempo whenever they can. Denver averages just 97.1 possessions per 48 minutes (26th in the NBA), while Minnesota records 101.7 (4th).
Pick: Go over 235.5 points at -110