Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets look to take a 2-0 series lead tonight in their first round series against Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Nuggets took the series opener, 116-105. The Nuggets outscored Minnesota 68-46 over the second and third quarters, building a lead as large as 15 points. The Wolves led by 10 after the first quarter but the game was tied at the half. Edwards and co. cut the Nuggets’ lead down to 97-95 with 6:23 to go, but would never get closer. Jamal Murray (30 points, 16/16 FT) and Jokic (25 points, 13 rebounds, 11 assists) led the way for Denver. Murray has now scored at least 30 points in 20 career playoff games. Edwards scored 22 points but was just 7-19 from the field.
A deeper dive into the numbers from Game 1 and the difference in the game really came down to free throws. Denver shot 30/33 from the line (90.9%) while Minnesota was 14/19 (73.7%). This matched each team’s reg. season trend as the Nuggets had the fourth-most FTA/gm in the NBA (25.8) and the Timberwolves committed the third-most fouls per game (21.2). Those percentages also fall in line with the teams’ regular season numbers. Denver had the fifth-best FT% in the league (80.8%) while Minnesota had the second worst (75.2%).
The win in Game 1 was Denver’s 13th straight dating back to March 20. The franchise record is 15 straight in 2013.
The Nuggets have won seven of the last eight series in which they won Game 1.
Denver is 8-0 all-time in a seven-game series in which they win the first two games.
Minnesota is 0-8 all-time in a seven-game series in which they have lost the first two games.
The Timberwolves did rally to win a 2023 first round series against the Nuggets after falling behind 2-0, but it was a five-game series.
Lets take a closer look at tonight’s matchup and take into consideration lineups, injuries, and other factors affecting the line and total.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on how to catch tipoff, odds courtesy of DraftKings recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
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The latest odds as of Monday courtesy of DraftKings:
Moneyline: Minnesota Timberwolves (+210), Denver Nuggets (-258)
This game opened Nuggets -6.5 with the Game Total set at 230.5.
Be sure to check out DraftKings for all the latest game odds & player props for every matchup this week on the NBA schedule!
Peyton Watson (hamstring) has been declared OUT of Monday’s game
The OVER has cashed in 37 of the Timberwolves’ 83 games this season (37-46)
The OVER has cashed in 52 of the Nuggets’ 83 games this season (52-31)
Bruce Bowen's Game 1 stat line: 8 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 steals
Anthony Edwards tied a career-high with 3 blocks in Game 1