Timberwolves vs. Nuggets: Odds and what to watch for
By Ben Beecken
The Minnesota Timberwolves play host to the Denver Nuggets on Monday evening at Target Center as they look to snap a five-game losing streak.
Finally, the Minnesota Timberwolves will enter a game in a healthier state than their opponent.
The Denver Nuggets arrive at Target Center tied for the No. 3 spot in the Western Conference but sans three starters in Jamal Murray, Paul Millsap, and Gary Harris. The Wolves will be without Jake Layman yet again and new acquisition Allen Crabbe is questionable with an illness, but that’s the extent of the injuries for the home team.
The Nuggets have understandably scuffled a bit since the injuries began to take their toll, losing to Cleveland last week, needing overtime to beat a 10-34 Golden State squad and losing to Indiana on Sunday, but they’ve still won five of their last seven games overall.
Denver played on Sunday, giving the Wolves the advantage in the travel, rest, and injury categories. We’ll have to hope that’s enough to make this a truly winnable game.
Timberwolves odds against the Nuggets
Tickets, TV and streaming info for Timberwolves vs. Nuggets
- Television: Fox Sports North
- Radio: 830 WCCO
- Stream: Fubo.tv offers streaming options
- Tickets: StubHub offers ticketing options
What to watch for in Wolves vs. Nuggets
The Wolves should have the advantage on the perimeter in this one, with a surging Jarrett Culver and an aggressive Andrew Wiggins going up against some combination of Torrey Craig, Will Barton, Malik Beasley and P.J. Dozier.
Barton is the scorer to keep an eye on, however, as he can get hot in a hurry and has burned the Wolves plenty of times before. Look for Josh Okogie to spend much of the evening guarding him.
The Nuggets’ frontcourt is dynamic even without Millsap at their disposal. Between Nikola Jokic doing Nikola Jokic things and the exciting Michael Porter, Jr. getting more run off the bench, Karl-Anthony Towns and Gorgui Dieng will have their hands full.
If Towns comes to play (he’s struggled in his first two games back from injury) and Wiggins remains aggressive, the Wolves should be able to hang around in this one and have a shot to win at the end.
Injury Report
The Wolves are still missing Jake Layman. Also, Allen Crabbe is questionable with an illness and will make his Timberwolves debut if he’s able to suit up.
The Nuggets will be without Millsap, Murray, and Harris.
dark. Next. Will the Wolves be buyers or sellers at the deadline?
Check us out after the game for player grades. Enjoy Monday night basketball!