Nuggets vs. Timberwolves Best Bet: Can Karl-Anthony Towns, Timberwolves Come Out Strong in Game 1?
Nuggets vs. Timberwolves Best Bet: Can Karl-Anthony Towns, Timberwolves Come Out Strong in Game 1?
The Minnesota Timberwolves travel to take on the Denver Nuggets in their first game of the first round of the NBA playoffs. Despite being the underdogs, the Timberwolves may be better prepared for this game as they have been playing in a do-or-die mode for nearly a month, while the Nuggets cruised to the end of the season and haven’t played a meaningful game since clinching the No. 1 seed on April 5. The Nuggets are strong favorites to win the series, and they most likely will, but if Minnesota puts up any fight, I expect to see it in the first half of these games.
Nuggets vs. Timberwolves Game 1 Start Time and Where to Watch
- Date: Sunday, April 16, 2023
- Game Time: 10:30 pm ET
- Where to Watch: TNT
Denver Nuggets vs. Minnesota Timberwolves Prediction
The Timberwolves closed the season with a 42-40 record, but they were one of the best teams in the league in the first half. They had a 48-34 first-half moneyline record, which was the fifth highest in the league, behind just the Boston Celtics, Memphis Grizzlies, New York Knicks, and Milwaukee Bucks. On the road, they had a 25-16 first-half moneyline record, which was the BEST in the NBA.
Against the spread, the Timberwolves went 27-15 in the first half on the road this season, proving their ability to deliver when playing away from home, at least early in the game. All of the Timberwolves' problems can be summed up to closing out games. Look no further than the second-half collapse against the Lakers, as Minnesota led by 11 at halftime and blew it in the fourth quarter.
Although Denver is the top seed, Minnesota's chances of success lie in its approach to stifling Nikola Jokic. Minnesota plays Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns together a lot, which provides a solid defense down low. Gobert is one of the best defensive centers in the league and is the best chance at slowing down Jokic, which is the biggest step to beating the Nuggets. In the three games Jokic played against the Wolves this season, Gobert didn’t play in one and was battling injury in another. In his healthiest game, Jokic had his worst shooting percentage of the three meetings and shot 14% lower than his season average.
Minnesota has shown its ability to start strong in games. The team held a 60-49 halftime lead over the Lakers and edged the Tunder 57-47 at the break in the play-in tournament. The Wolves have one of the best first-half offenses in the league, putting up nearly 60 points per first half-this season. The Nuggets, on the other hand, went 39-42 ATS in the first half this season.
Another advantage the Wolves have is that they have been playing in intense games for basically a whole month, fighting for the playoffs, and they played in two play-in games. The Nuggets clinched the top seed a while ago and have been in coast mode for a few weeks. Denver must wake up in time for this opener against a Timberwolves team that is in the midst of the playoff mindset and likes to come out swinging.
The Timberwolves will face a challenging series against the Denver Nuggets, who are the top seed in the conference. However, Minnesota has proven all season that they like to start strong in games and have the capability to play well on the road. They are also equipped with a solid defense that can slow down Jokic for at least the first half.
The Wolves have always been a first-half team, and I would not be surprised if they led this game at halftime and collapsed once again. As a Wolves fan, I have seen it more times than I can count, and the numbers back it up. I like the Wolves to start strong and catch the Nuggets off guard before another inevitable second-half collapse.
Denver Nuggets vs. Minnesota Timberwolves Pick
Pick: Timberwolves First Half +4.5 @ (-106) Bet $100 to collect $194 DraftKings has the best odds; click here to bet
NBA Odds
Article Author
Ben Rajavuori is a handicapper out of Minneapolis, MN. He has been creating sports content for almost four years now and is an expert in all things NFL, MLB, NBA, UFC, and NCAAB. Ben thrives on diving deep into statistics to find the best angle on every bet. You can follow him on Twitter @WeBeatTheSpread.