The Timberwolves are in Denver for the second game of the NBA doubleheader on ESPN. The Nuggets are ahead of Minnesota in the standings and are playing at home after splitting a pair of games in Oklahoma City. This could be a playoff series preview since Denver is currently No. 2 in the conference while the Timberwolves start the night at No. 7. In what should be a fun playoff-style matchup, let’s take a look at my top three Nuggets vs. Timberwolves prop bets from the player prop market on DraftKings Sportsbook.
In the big picture, the Nuggets are three-point home favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook with the point total at 233. Since neither team is on a back-to-back, the injury reports are pretty clean. Rudy Gobert (back) is questionable for Minnesota, while Aaron Gordon (calf) is doubtful for the Nuggets. Nikola Jokic (elbow) and Jamal Murray (ankle) are also on the injury report, but they are both listed as probable.
Best Prop Bets for Nuggets vs. Timberwolves on DraftKings Sportsbook
Christian Braun over 1.5 three-pointers (+160)
Braun has made multiple three-pointers in six straight games. He has stepped up for the Nuggets into a larger role since the All-Star break, and getting him to hit multiple threes at this number feels very generous given his expanded role.
On the season, he’s averaging 1.1 three-pointers per game and shooting 38.7% in 33.5 minutes per game. In his last six games, though, he has averaged 2.7 three-pointers and hit 50% of his shots from long range. While that percentage is unsustainable, he has averaged 5.3 three-point attempts while playing 37.6 minutes per contest. It’s not just that he’s making more, he’s also getting way more opportunities.
He has also averaged 20.0 points per game during that stretch and should continue to be a big part of Denver’s push for the playoffs. If Gordon is out, that could open up even more work for him. His three-point prop is one of my top Nuggets vs. Timberwolves prop bets in this contest.
Jaden McDaniels 15+ points (+105)
On the other side of the matchup, McDaniels has been similarly stepping up for the Timberwolves. On the season, he’s averaging 12.6 points in 32.6 minutes per game, but he has been trending up with 19.0 points in 36.9 minutes per game over his last 11.
He has scored at least 15 points in nine of his last 11 games. While Julius Randle’s return has taken some of the workload and Gobert’s return could further lighten the load eventually, McDaniels’ emergence will be very important for the Wolves going forward, so I expect them to keep him very involved.
He had 10 and 13 points in the two matchups against the Nuggets earlier this season, but that was before he took on his expanded role.
Nikola Jokic 30+ points (+130)
Whether Rudy plays or gets the night off, Jokic to get over 30 points is another plus-money play I like in this spot. He is averaging 28.9 points per game on the season and has scored 30 points or more in two of his last three games, including his most recent game (35 points) and his most recent home game (31 points).
Jokic has scored 32+ points in five of his last six home games vs. the Timberwolves, and getting The Joker at this plus-money to reach that level feels like a great place to attack this matchup.
If Gobert does return, he could be at less than 100% and he only played 20 minutes in his first game back after a 10-game absence. If he’s out, the Wolves will lack size against Jokic, which should set The Joker up for a big game like he had on Monday when he led his Nuggets past the Thunder.
