Denver Nuggets (54-28, third in the Western Conference) vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (49-33, sixth in the Western Conference)
Minneapolis; Saturday, 8:30 p.m. EDT
LINE: Nuggets -1.5; over/under is 229.5
WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND: Timberwolves lead series 2-1
BOTTOM LINE: The Minnesota Timberwolves host the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference first round with a 2-1 lead in the series. The Timberwolves won the last meeting 113-96 on Friday, led by 25 points from Ayo Dosunmu. Nikola Jokic led the Nuggets with 27.
The Timberwolves are 9-7 in division matchups. Minnesota is seventh in the league with 118.0 points and is shooting 48.1% from the field.
The Nuggets are 11-5 against the rest of their division. Denver is seventh in the Western Conference with 44.0 rebounds per game led by Jokic averaging 12.9.
The Timberwolves average 118.0 points per game, 1.1 more points than the 116.9 the Nuggets allow. The Nuggets are shooting 49.6% from the field, 3.4% higher than the 46.2% the Timberwolves’ opponents have shot this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Julius Randle is averaging 21.1 points, 6.7 rebounds and five assists for the Timberwolves. Dosunmu is averaging 13.7 points over the last 10 games.
Jamal Murray is averaging 25.4 points and 7.1 assists for the Nuggets. Jokic is averaging 22.8 points over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Timberwolves: 5-5, averaging 116.8 points, 41.1 rebounds, 25.7 assists, 8.1 steals and 5.7 blocks per game while shooting 47.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 117.0 points per game.
Nuggets: 8-2, averaging 123.6 points, 47.1 rebounds, 28.8 assists, 7.2 steals and 4.0 blocks per game while shooting 48.2% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 115.7 points.
INJURIES: Timberwolves: Terrence Shannon Jr.: out (illness), Jaylen Clark: out (illness).
Nuggets: Aaron Gordon: out (calf), Peyton Watson: out (hamstring).
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Read the full article here