Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA
Denver Nuggets vs Minnesota Timberwolves Game 4: Western Conference Playoffs – Second round
The Denver Nuggets will try to tie the series tonight against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center.
Are the Nuggets still the team to beat in the West?
After losing the first two games of the series, the Denver Nuggets showed up ready in Minnesota and got back to the series with a 117-90 win. The defending champions had excellent scoring percentages, shooting 53.8% from the field, 48.3% from deep, and 85% from the free throw line. Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray scored 24 points each.
How good the Wolves really are?
The Minnesota Timberwolves are still in the driving seat in the series. After six consecutive wins to start the playoffs, they fell short in Game 3 against the Nuggets. This was the worst shooting game for them in the series, with 43.7% from the field. Anthony Edwards led the team with 19 points, followed by Karl-Anthony Towns with 14.
Betting Trends
The Timberwolves have won four of the last seven games against the Nuggets. They have won 6 of the last 7 games overall, 6 of the last 8 at home, and 9 of the last 12 games against teams from the Northwest Division. Minnesota has covered the spread in 5 of the last 6 games against teams from the Western Conference and in 6 of the last 8 home games against Denver. The Nuggets have won 11 of the last 16 games overall and 11 of the last 15 games on the road. They have covered the spread only once in the last six games overall.
Prediction and Conclusion
The Minnesota Timberwolves absolutely dominated the first two road games, and it seemed like they had full control of the series. However, the Nuggets proved that they are still on top and are not ready to give up the hopes of defending the championship. They showed up ready, moved the ball way better, and were more aggressive on the defensive end. They definitely have the momentum and can tie the series if they play as efficiently as they did in Game 3. After three games in which the winner was obvious early in the game, this will be a much tougher battle, and we go with the Nuggets to cover the +2.5-point spread.
