The NBA playoffs are just around the corner, and in the first round we get an intriguing matchup in the Western Conference between the No. 3 seed Denver Nuggets and the No. 6 seed Minnesota Timberwolves.
Timberwolves vs. Nuggets Opening Odds
The Nuggets are favorites to win the series at -400, while the Timberwolves are underdogs to advance at +310 on DraftKings Sportsbook
Denver finished the regular season on a 12-game win streak to earn a 54-28 record. The Nuggets had the highest-rated offensive rating in the league…cough…Nikola…cough…Jokic. The defense was only 21st, though, as Aaron Gordon and Peyton Watson, arguably the two most important and versatile defenders on Denver, missed huge chunks of time. Cameron Johnson did not live up the expectations of replacing Michael Porter Jr. in the lineup. Can he step up in the playoffs?
Minnesota was 49-33 during the regular season. For the final 19 games, the Timberwolves were 9-10. Minnesota finished with the 13th-best offensive rating and eighth-best defensive rating. Rudy! Rudy! Rudy! Gobert is the anchor of the defense but Jaden McDaniels was a great defender on the wing and even showed some of his offensive bag. Anthony Edwards, the alpha of the pack, only played 61 games this season, after participating in at least 72 games every other season with 79 appearances the prior three campaigns. Edwards missed 10 of the last 13 games due to a knee issue.
Denver won three of the four head-to-head meeting during the regular season.
