Amid today’s loaded NBA summer league slate, the Denver Nuggets will be facing off against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Minnesota took down the New Orleans Pelicans in a 105-92 win in their debut in Las Vegas. The Nuggets are searching for their first win of the summer league after falling short by a score of 97-86 in their first matchup against the Houston Rockets.
DraftKings Sportsbook is offering odds for all the summer league matchups, including some player prop and team prop options, depending on your location.
The Timberwolves enter as 5.5-point favorites and hold -218 odds of winning outright on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Nuggets hold +180 odds of winning outright, with the game total set at 182.5 points.
Nuggets vs. Timberwolves preview, prediction
With assistant coach J.J. Barea at the helm for the summer league, the Nuggets will be searching for their first win tonight. Denver fell 97-86 to the Houston Rockets yesterday, in a game the Nuggets led for just 6% of the time. This was despite Denver producing a 45-34 rebounding advantage and Bryce Hopkins leading the game in scoring with 24 points.
In addition to Hopkins, KJ Simpson poured in 17 points for the Nuggets. These were the lone two players to score in double figures, but all 10 players who saw the floor scored at least two points. Trevon Brazile made an impact with his athleticism, finishing with five points and 11 rebounds.
The Minnesota Timberwolves opened up the summer league with a 105-92 win over the Pelicans. They led for 55% of the matchup and extended their advantage to as many as 15. Minnesota also rebounded the ball at a high rate, winning the battle 46-38 and pulling in 17 offensive boards. Assistant coach Nathan Bubes is the head coach of the Timberwolves’ summer league roster.
Two-way guard Zyon Pullin headlined the production with 24 points, 12 assists, and nine rebounds in the summer league opener. Nate Santos added 20 points off the bench, while Joan Beringer was a force inside with 18 points and 11 rebounds.
Nuggets vs. Timberwolves pick, best bet
There was an impressive poise to this Timberwolves team in the summer league opener, considering the lack of time this roster has spent together. Pullin played with impressive maturity; he got to his spots on the floor effectively and used this to leverage his scoring to open things up as a passer as well.
In addition, Beringer is a force on the interior with his 6-foot-11 height and nearly 7-foot-5 wingspan. Expect his presence to cause some issues in this game, with Denver’s rebounding success more predicated on athleticism. Count on Minnesota to exploit this with players like Trey Kaufman-Renn and Rocco Zikarsky also set to play key roles on the boards.
Perhaps most concerning was the Nuggets’ inability to take care of the ball. Denver coughed it up 24 times in the summer league opener. On one hand, this was their first time playing together, and this should get better as their chemistry improves. On the other hand, the roster is lacking natural playmakers, and this will not be fixed with more time. Playing at a rest disadvantage also will not help with this sloppiness. Minnesota is capable of taking generating turnovers , and this battle will have a major impact on the game.
I am believing what we saw from each of these teams in the opening matchup, and am backing this to continue tonight. Expect Minnesota to force turnovers at a high rate and assert itself inside. There is a bit more top-end NBA talent on this Timberwolves roster, who still have plenty to prove as they look to cement their standing in the franchise. The focus of Minnesota felt more centered around competing, while Denver’s was more about evaluation in the first game. Back the Timberwolves to advance to 2-0 in summer league, and I am not blinking at the 5.5-point spread.
