The Denver Nuggets look to even up their best-of-seven second-round playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves when the two teams hit the hardwood Monday night inside Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado. They tip it off at 10:00pm as the Nuggets look to knot the series up at 1-1.
The Timberwolves earned an imposing 106-99 win in Game 1 to stun the Nuggets and their faithful.
Bookmaker has already installed the Nuggets as a solid - 5 1/2 point favorite in a must-win situation.
The Nuggets looked a tad out of sync in Game 1, and they could not stop Minnesota's Anthony Edwards at all. They know he will look to go off again in Game 2, and they will have to match his intensity on the floor as well. They had too many defensive breakdowns late in the game, and once Edwards decided to take over, that was it.
Denver is led by an all-world center, Nikola Jokic, who can take over a game at any moment. Jokic is as clutch as they come and has been averaging around 30 points per game in the playoffs. He has to have one of those vintage performances if the Nuggets want to tie the series at 1-1.
Denver also needs to do a better job of getting to the line. They were able to get to the charity strip 20 times, but they needed to attack the tin more and get to the line at least 30 times in this one. That is where the guards have to step up and make plays, and they must be very decisive right from the start.
The surprise and upstart Timberwolves have the makings of a team that can be a force coming out of the Western Conference for years to come. They have a ton of depth, and their talent is visibly evident throughout these playoffs. Edwards is a star in the league, and he is coming into Game 2 fresh off of a 43-point explosion. He took over the game and made some vast buckets when the team needed him, too.
Minnesota has shown that it is one of the best shooting teams left in these playoffs. They were on fire the other night, connecting on 43-of-82 from the floor. They will open up the spacing on the floor and get their jump shooters involved, including point guard Mike Conley, who can penetrate and nail the short jumper. He is a solid point guard and has excellent court vision, but more importantly, he has cut down his turnovers.
The Nuggets are 4-1 in their last five games and 4-1 in their previous five games against the number, and they are also 17-23 in their road games against the spread. The totals have gone over in four out of their last five games. The Timberwolves are 3-2 in their previous five games and 1-4 in their last five games against the spread. They are also 22-18 in their road games against the number.
