Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA
Denver Nuggets vs Minnesota Timberwolves Game 6: Western Conference Playoffs – Second round
The Minnesota Timberwolves will try to stay alive in the series when they host the Denver Nuggets tonight at the Target Center.
The Nuggets are born winners
The Denver Nuggets found themselves in a deep hole after losing the first two games of the series at home. However, they proved that they have the heart of the champions, winning the next three games and taking a 3-2 lead in the series. The three-time MVP Nikola Jokic was fantastic in the 112-97 Game 5 win, recording 40 points, 13 assists, and 7 rebounds.
Can the Timberwolves regain the momentum?
The Minnesota Timberwolves started the series strong, winning both games in Denver, but failed to transfer that dominance when the series moved north. They had no chance in both home games and then lost all four quarters in Game 5 in Denver. Karl-Anthony Towns was the Wolves leading scorer with 23 points, while Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert added 18 points each.
Betting Trends
The Timberwolves are 6-3 SU in their last 9 games overall, 9-0 SU in their last 9 games splayed on Thursday and 13-4 SU in their last 17 games as favorites. They are 6-3 ATS in their last 9 games overall, 13-7 ATS in their last 20 games against teams from the Western Conference, and 2-4 ATS in their last 6 games against teams from the Northwest Division. Minnesota has played over the total point line in 10 of their last 14 games overall, 4 of the last 6 against Denver, 4 of their last 5 home games and 7 of their last 9 home games against Denver. The Nuggets are 11-4 SU in their last 15 games, 10-5 SU in their last 15 games against Minnesota and 8-3 SU in their last 11 games against teams from the Western Conference. They are 4-2 ATS in the last 6 games against Minnesota. Denver has played over the total point line in 5 of their last 6 games on the road.
Prediction and Conclusion
The Denver Nuggets looked absolutely hopeless in the first two games of the series, and many analysts predicted that the Wolves would sweep the denfiding champions. Then, Mike Malone proved his coaching class and got the best of his players, who took their game to another level. Many doubted that Nikola Jokic should have won the MVP award, and then the Serbian woke up the beast in him and dominated the following games. The Nuggets got the momentum and will keep their foot on the gas, closing the series tonight and advancing to the Western Conference Finals.
