We cashed our best bet on Monday with Pascal Siakam going over his scoring prop of 20.5 points. That moves us to four winners in our past five attempts. We'll try to make it five out of six winners tonight as we head to the Twin Cities, where the Timberwolves will take on the Denver Nuggets.
Denver Nuggets vs. Minnesota Timberwolves, Moneyline, Total and Odds
Moneyline: Nuggets +162 | Timberwolves -194
Spread: Nuggets +4.5 (-106) | Timberwolves -4.5 (-114)
Total: Over 230.5 (-110) | Under 230.5 (-110)
NBA Championship Odds: Nuggets +3000 | Timberwolves +16000
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook. Sign up for FanDuel Sportsbook today and get your first bet risk-free for up to $1,000.
Denver Nuggets vs. Minnesota Timberwolves, News, Analysis, and Picks
The Denver Nuggets are climbing up the standings in the Western Conference after blowing out the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks on the road, 136-100. Denver's now won five straight games to improve to 28-21 — one game behind the Jazz in the Northwest Division. Moreover, after an 8-2 run in their past ten games, Denver is now tied for the fifth seed in the Western Conference. It's worth noting that the Nuggets are still without two starters in Michael Porter Jr. (out for the season) and Jamal Murray (out indefinitely).
Denver's been able to lean on their center Nikola Jokić, as he's having another stellar season averaging 26 points, 13.7 rebounds, and 7.8 assists. He currently has the second shortest MVP odds at +330 behind Joel Embiid (+230). However, Jokić has a 33.38 Player Efficiency Rating compared to Embiid's 31.87 PER.
With the Nuggets in good form of late, I think this is a great spot to back them on the road. Denver ranks seventh in offensive efficiency, and they're ahead of teams like the Warriors, Grizzlies, and Nets in this category. Defensively, the Nuggets are just below league average in efficiency as they're allowing 106.8 points per 100 possessions. However, I think it's fair to say that it's taken this Denver unit some time to gel this season without its two injured star players. As a result, I project the Nuggets' defense will continue to improve on the other side of the All-Star break.
Denver will face a Minnesota team that's been inconsistent of late off a win. The Timberwolves are 0-5 against the spread in their past five games off a straight-up win. But here's the critical nugget to note for this game: Denver is 23-4-1 in its past 28 games on the road against Minnesota. I think we can pretty much end the handicap there.
Take the points with Nuggets on the road.
Pick: Nuggets +4.5
All NBA predictions and picks are courtesy of SportsGrid.
