Minnesota Timberwolves vs Denver Nuggets Prediction, Preview and Odds - 04/19/2023

Game Time: 10:00 pm ET, Wednesday, April 19, 2023

Venue:  Ball Arena, Denver, CO

Where to Watch:  TNT

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Timberwolves +8.5, Nuggets -8.5; Over/Under:  223.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Timberwolves +8.5, Nuggets -8.5; Over/Under:  223.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Timberwolves +8.5, Nuggets -8.5; Over/Under:  223.5 points

Minnesota Timberwolves:  42-40 (2nd place, Northwest Division)

Denver Nuggets:  53-29 (1st place, Northwest Division)

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Minnesota Timberwolves:  5-5 last 10

Denver Nuggets:  5-5 last 10

The Timberwolves finished the regular season with a 42-40 record overall and they were 20-21 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off of a loss against the Denver Nuggets in their last game. Anthony Edwards led the team in points in that game with 18 while Jaylen Nowell was next on the team with 12 points. Anthony Edwards led the team in assists in that game with 5 while Rudy Gobert led the team in rebounds with 13. They were 37% from the field, 30.6% from 3-point range, and 56.3% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 115.8 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 115.8 PPG against them. The Timberwolves have an ATS record of 42-43 this season and their O/U record is 39-46.

The Nuggets finished the regular season with a 53-29 record overall and they were 34-7 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game on a 2 game winning streak with wins coming against the Sacramento Kings and the Minnesota Timberwolves in their last game. Jamal Murray led the team in points in that game with 24 while Michael Porter Jr. was next on the team with 18 points. Jamal Murray led the team in assists in that game with 8 while Nikola Jokić led the team in rebounds with 14. They were 45.6% from the field, 41% from 3-point range, and 64.7% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 115.8 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 112.5 PPG against them. The Nuggets have an ATS record of 45-37-1 this season and their O/U record is 38-44-1.

The current betting odds have the Nuggets listed as an 8.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. This is game 2 of a 7-game series between the 1st seeded Nuggets and the 8th seeded Timberwolves for the 1st round of the playoffs in the NBA Western Conference. The Nuggets took game 1 of this series with a big home win by almost 30 points and they have been beating teams on their home court like this all year. They had the best record in the West this season, earning the number 1 seed in the West, and they also had one of the best home records as they were 34-7 in their home games. The Timberwolves weren't great in their road games this year with a losing 20-21 road record and they even had to play in the play-in tournament just to earn this series. They got crushed by the Nuggets in game 1 and that was with Jokic having a very mediocre night as he was not even a top 3 scorer for the Nuggets in that game. Jokic still has the potential to have a huge game on their home court here and the Timberwolves could already barely handle the Nuggets with him having a quiet night. The best way to place a bet here is on the Nuggets to cover the spread in this game. 

Timberwolves Nuggets Prediction:  Our NBA Pick for Wednesday, April 19, 2023 (10:00 pm ET start time) is Nuggets 117 Timberwolves 101.

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Minnesota Timberwolves: 18-7 ATS revenging a same season loss vs opponent. 28-17 ATS vs. division opponents. 28-10 OVER after a blowout loss by 15 points or more. 26-18 OVER after a division game.

Denver Nuggets: 22-40 ATS in a home game where the total is 220 to 229.5. 5-17 ATS after 2 straight wins by 10 points or more. 39-21 OVER in a home game where the total is 220 to 229.5. 13-4 OVER off a home win against a division rival.

Minnesota Timberwolves:  J. McDaniels (SF) Out indefinitely - Hand. N. Reid (C) Out indefinitely - Wrist.

Denver Nuggets:  C. Gillespie (PG) Late April - Leg.

“It’s the NBA. It’s not forgiving. Just things happen. They did a great job, give them credit. They had a long week preparing for us and they got ready and you could tell on the court they knew our plays and knew what they’re doing. So we’ve just got to come back ready for Game 2. It’s a series — just move on, flush it and get ready.” - Karl-Anthony Towns after their loss against the Nuggets in their game on Sunday, game 1 of this series. 

“It is kind of wild to think it’s been that long. I’m just so happy for him, proud of him. It has not been an easy journey for him, but I think this year, we’ve seen Jamal have moments where that’s the Jamal Murray that we all love and remember.” - Michael Malone after his team’s win against the Timberwolves in their game on Sunday, game 1 of this series. 

PG Mike Conley

SG Anthony Edwards

SF Kyle Anderson

PF Karl-Anthony Towns

C Rudy Gobert

PG Jamal Murray

SG Kentavious Caldwell-Pope

SF Michael Porter Jr.

PF Aaron Gordon

C Nikola Jokic

PPG: A. Edwards (24.6)

APG: M. Conley (6.7)

Reb/G: R. Gobert (11.6)

PPG: N. Jokic (24.5)

APG: N. Jokic (9.8)

Reb/G: N. Jokic (11.8)

Coaches:

Minnesota Timberwolves: Chris Finch (3rd season)

Denver Nuggets: Michael Malone (8th season)