by Chuck Sommers
Tuesday, Feb 07, 2023
Time: 9 p.m. ET
Venue: Ball Arena, Denver, CO
Where to watch: ALT, BSN
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Nuggets -8
FanDuel: Nuggets -8
BetMGM: Nuggets -8.5
Caesars: Nuggets -8
Season record
Timberwolves: 29-27
Nuggets: 37-17
The All-Stars have been announced, the trade deadline is days away, and the NBA season has never seen so much parity and intrigue than it has at this moment. All you need to do is look at the Western Conference and laugh with a hearty burst at how ridiculous this season has been. You know what's not ridiculous? Our champion handicappers continuing to kill it on the NBA level over the last 30 days. All you need to do is take one look at what they're doing and see that this is the place to be as we purge through the second half of the season. Doc's Sports has been tremendous over the last month with a 17-8-0 run and net profit of $8,100. Team Del Genio has also been very good at an 11-6-1 run that has made for some very exciting runs near to the top. Basketball is taking full swing with football about to be set on the back burner, and you want to be locked in at bigal.com. Take advantage of our Best Bets page at bigal.com to see what our champion handicappers bring to the table. Make sure you're following winners at bigal.com and get that same kind of money in your pocket.
Timberwolves - Nuggets preview, prediction and analysis
Whenever you are a team that has never really won anything before, you're not going to get a lot of love in the public eye. And that is not to say that I dislike what the Denver Nuggets are doing right now, because what they’re doing in a crowded Western Conference has been something to behold and I am very much here for it.
The 37-17 Nuggets will try for their revenge on the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday in this home-and-home series. The Timberwolves did what they needed to do against the Nikola Jokic-less Nuggets, among others, to likely return for this home portion of the schedule. Jokic didn’t play, along with Jamal Murray (injury management), Aaron Gordon (ankle), and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (ankle).
It was just the Michael Porter Jr. show for Denver, who led Denver with 22 points on 7 of 16 shooting, but shot just 2 of 10 from 3-point range. Christian Braun had 19 points and Bruce Brown added 16.
“We were very business-like,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said. “Took advantage of the opportunity that was there for us. I think we only had like three or four turnovers in the first half. That’s kind of been important to our focus. And I thought we made a lot of really good plays.”
The good news: The win was the fifth in seven games for the Timberwolves and they continue to look very good in the middle of the Western Conference. The bad news: I don’t think they can do this against a Denver team with Jokic, Murray, etc. The Timberwolves have also covered in five of their last seven. If Minnesota is going to win this game, they need Anthony Edwards to play like a superstar and will his team to what would be their most impressive win of the season.
But that would require finding out the way to stop the best offense in the league led by the two-time MVP. You ever just go on a man’s Basketball Reference page and be absolutely shocked at the progression that he’s made, and then realize that he’s literally the most chill dude living on a farm in Serbia? That’s Nikola Jokic, and somehow this season might be better than his other two MVP seasons. The man is literally averaging a triple-double and shooting 63 percent from the floor. Like, somehow this is Final Boss Nikola Jokic and it’s insane. Oh, and he’s shooting 38 percent from 3.
“We’re just playing free and easy but, obviously, a little bit too free and a little bit too easy, at times,” coach Mike Malone said.
In his last eight appearances, in which the Nuggets have gone 8-1, Jokic is averaging 24 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists. This man is 7-foot tall. There’s no way this should be happening on any level whatsoever. He’s also making 70 percent of his shots and shooting 44 percent from 3-point range. I can’t be trying to think of ways for this to work, but he’s absolutely earned every accolade so far.
Prediction
Good luck trying to get Rudy Gobert to come out and play the 3-point line. Good luck trying to get anyone to play these guys while they’re in the middle of running the most deadly two-man game in the league right now. Denver is an absolute force right now. Nuggets 137, Timberwolves 126
Betting trends
Timberwolves are 16-11 ATS as an underdog this season.
Timberwolves are 17-13 ATS after a home game this season.
Nuggets are 22-19 ATS as a favorite this season.
Projected starting lineup
Timberwolves:
PG: D'Angelo Russell
SG: Anthony Edwards
SF: Jaden McDaniels
PF: Kyle Anderson
C: Rudy Gobert
Nuggets:
PG: Jamal Murray
SG: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
SF: Michael Porter Jr.
PF: Aaron Gordon
C: Nikola Jokic
Injury report
Timberwolves: Rudy Gobert (groin, questionable), Karl-Anthony Towns (calf, out)
Nuggets: None
Timberwolves: Rudy Gobert (groin, questionable), Karl-Anthony Towns (calf, out)
Nuggets: None
Statistical leaders
Timberwolves:
Points: Anthony Edwards -- 24.7
Rebounds: Rudy Gobert -- 11.6
Assists: D'Angelo Russell -- 6.2
Nuggets:
Points: Nikola Jokic -- 24.8
Rebounds: Nikola Jokic -- 11.3
Assists: Nikola Jokic -- 10.1
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Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
