Five games of NBA action will be taking place across today’s Saturday, Nov. 15th slate. One of the premier matchups taking place is a Western Conference matchup between the Denver Nuggets and the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Both of these teams hold deep playoff aspirations and have been somewhat overshadowed in the Western Conference conversation. The Nuggets are just two seasons removed from winning the NBA Championship, with Nikola Jokic continuing to make his case for the best player in the NBA. Anthony Edwards has quietly made his case for this title as well, and the Timberwolves are coming off back-to-back Conference Finals appearances and looking to get over the championship hump.
Looking at the odds for tonight’s matchup, the Timberwolves enter as 2.5-point favorites and hold -142 odds on the moneyline on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Nuggets hold +120 odds of getting the outright victory, with the game total set at 235.5 points.
This article will look at a preview and prediction for the Saturday night matchup.
Nuggets at Timberwolves preview, prediction
The Denver Nuggets are off to a 9-2 start to the season and sit in second place in the Western Conference. They enter this matchup on a six-game winning streak, with their pair of losses coming against the Warriors in the season-opener and the Trail Blazers. Denver will have the rest advantage in this game as it last played on Wednesday in a victory over the Clippers. Christian Braun remains out for the Nuggets, while Cameron Johnson will miss tonight’s game due to a bicep injury, and Nikola Jokic is listed as questionable with a wrist injury.
The three-time MVP is off to another historic start to the season. Jokic is averaging 28.8 points along with a league-leading 13.1 rebounds and 10.9 assists while shooting 68.4% from beyond the three-point arc. Jamal Murray has also been off to an incredible start to the season, averaging 22.0 points, 5.7 assists and 5.0 rebounds while leading the NBA with a 97.4% free-throw percentage. Aaron Gordon is the glue that holds the team together in a lot of ways, with the 30-year-old adding 19.6 points and 5.5 rebounds. Denver also sees production from Tim Hardaway Jr., Bruce Brown and Peyton Watson, while Jonas Valanciunas is providing some of the best minutes at the backup center spot the Nuggets have seen in the Jokic era.
As a team, Denver is averaging the third-most points per game at 124.5 per contest. The Nuggets rank fifth in rebounds, fourth in assists and second in field-goal percentage on the season. They are also holding opponents to the third-fewest points at 111.2 per game. Denver is limiting opponents to the fourth-fewest rebounds, the sixth-worst field-goal percentage and the worst three-point percentage in the league. The Nuggets are 8-3 against the spread this season, and the over has cashed in six of their 11 games.
The Minnesota Timberwolves have also been strong out of the gates this year, entering with an 8-4 record and tied for fifth place in the Western Conference. They enter on a four-game winning streak but are playing on the second night of a back-to-back after defeating the Sacramento Kings last night. Terrence Shannon Jr. is the only player on the injury report at the moment and will remain out tonight due to a foot injury.
Anthony Edwards headlines the production with 27.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.4 assists while shooting 46.2% from beyond the three-point arc. Julius Randle adds 25.4 points, 7.5 rebounds and 6.1 assists, while Jaden McDaniels has taken a notable leap in his development this year. The 25-year-old is averaging 17.9 points and 4.6 rebounds while showing some improved creation ability while shooting 51.2% from beyond the three-point arc. Rudy Gobert anchors the defense, while Donte DiVincenzo provides some necessary additional creation, and Naz Reid brings a pop off the bench.
Collectively, the Timberwolves are scoring 121.7 points per game, which ranks seventh in the NBA. They are connecting on three-pointers at the third-best rate in the league and rank fourth in field-goal percentage. Defensively, opponents are scoring 115.3 points a game, which ranks 11th in the league, and they rank eighth in opponent field-goal percentage and 12th in defensive rating.
Nuggets at Timberwolves prediction, best bet
Both these teams should feel good about the way they started the season. But as long as Nikola Jokic is able to suit up tonight, and he has yet to miss a game this year, Denver is in a prime position to get the upset victory in this game.
Minnesota is 8-0 this season against teams below .500, but is 0-4 when it has faced teams with a winning record. This is the second meeting between these two teams this season, and the Nuggets cruised to a 127-114 victory when these teams played on Oct. 27th. It is certainly important to note that Anthony Edwards was not available for that game. But Jamal Murray lit the Timberwolves up for 43 points while Nikola Jokic asserted his typical level of dominance.
While Rudy Gobert has four Defensive Player of the Year Awards to his name, Jokic has historically dominated these matchups. In addition, this is a good spot for Denver from a rest perspective. It last played on Wednesday, which is a notable level of rest given the typical grind of an NBA season. In contrast, Minnesota had less than a 24-hour turnaround after its 124-110 victory over the Kings last night.
The Timberwolves are still searching for their first true big win of the season, and it is a tall ask to expect them to get it against the Nuggets. Denver’s offense has been clicking on all cylinders and has been machine-like in its processing. It has only been held below 120 points twice all season and tallied 130+ points in four games this year. Expect the Nuggets to push their offensive production to a level the Timberwolves cannot match, and for Denver to get the outright upset as the underdog tonight. The gap between the Nuggets and the Thunder for the best team in the Western Conference is not quite as perceived, and this is a chance to prove this in a high-profile matchup.
