Timberwolves vs. Nuggets Game 2 Prediction: NBA Playoffs Odds
A dominant second half made the difference in Game 1 on Saturday night as Minnesota cruised to a 106-99 victory to remain undefeated in this year’s playoffs. Denver will now look to even the series when they host the T-Wolves for Game 2 on Monday.
The Nuggets opened as 5.5-point favourites to win on the NBA odds, with the total set at 206.5.
Timberwolves vs. Nuggets NBA Betting Odds
If these teams mimic the regular season then the Nuggets have the edge in Game 2. Denver and Minnesota alternated wins over four regular season meetings, with each team winning once at home and once on the road. The Over/Under has also gone back-and-forth, so Game 1’s Under could mean Game 2 is due to hit the Over.
The series line has completely flipped. The Timberwolves entered the series as +165 underdogs, but they’re now sitting as -125 favourites to win. The Nuggets went from -200 favourites prior to Game 1 to +105 underdogs ahead of Gamer 2. If you still believe in Denver, now is probably the only time you’ll get them at plus-money for the series. The favoured exact series result is a Denver win in seven games or a Minnesota win in six games, each at +350. The biggest long shot is a Timberwolves win in seven games at +750.
Looking at the NBA futures board, the Nuggets still have the second-best championship odds, currently priced at +450. Minnesota now has the third-best championship odds at +575 after beginning the series at +900.
Minnesota Timberwolves
Anthony Edwards continues to elevate his game in the playoffs. The Georgia Bulldogs alum dropped a game-high 43 points on Saturday, setting a new playoff career-high and a franchise postseason record. Edwards is averaging 33.4 points per game in the playoffs, a significant improvement from his 25.8 ppg during the regular season. Clutch scoring was key for Minnesota in Game 1, with Naz Reid scoring 14 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter and the team shooting an elite 71.1 per cent from the floor in the second half.
In unique injury news, Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch spent Game 1 sitting on the bench in the second row, three days after undergoing knee surgery. Finch ruptured the patellar tendon in his right knee after a freak collision with guard Mike Conley in Minnesota’s first-round series clinching game. The injury to Finch is more impactful than it seems because he’s now relying on assistant coach Micah Nori to do the instructing and in-game adjustments.
Denver Nuggets
It’s clearly not the start to the series Denver wants. The Nuggets led by four points at the break in Game 1, but were outscored 66-55 in the second half. Two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic led the team with 32 points, eight rebounds and nine assists, but he also had seven turnovers. Jamal Murray, who hit two game winning shots in the first-round, struggled and went scoreless in the first half on Saturday. Murray shot 6-of-14 from the floor, finishing the game with 17 points. The Kitchener, Ontario native is dealing with a calf injury and is listed as questionable for Game 2, but he’ll likely be ready to go by game time.
Jokic and Murray need to step up in Game 2. Jokic, who leads the team in points (28.8), rebounds (14.8) and assists (9.7) in the playoffs, has to distribute the ball more consistently and generate more second chance opportunities. Murray is more than capable of creating more shots and going on big scoring runs, so it would be shocking not to see the Nuggets respond in Game 2.
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