Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA

Minnesota Timberwolves vs Denver Nuggets Game 2: Western Conference Playoffs – Second round

The Denver Nuggets will try to even the series tonight against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Ball Arena.

The Timberwolves have a perfect record in the playoffs

The Minnesota Timberwolves swept the Phoenix Suns in the opening playoff round, which put them under the spotlight, and now that they defeated the Nuggets on the road in the second-round opener, they are seen as a championship contender. Minnesota was the better team and finished strong in the fourth quarter to win 106-99. Anthony Edwards led the team with 43 points, which is his third 40+ performance in six playoff games this season. Karl-Anthony Towns added 20 points, and Naz Reid added 16 points off the bench.

The Nuggets need to step up

The Denver Nuggets are the defending champions, and they proved their class in the opening round against the Los Angeles Lakers, winning five games. Things did not start well in the second round, as the Nuggets lost 106-99 to the Timberwolves. They found themselves 18-4 down early in the first quarter but managed to turn things around by the end of that period. However, the Nuggets could not hold on in the last six minutes and found themselves in a difficult situation. Nikola Jokic had a good game, recording 32 points, 9 assists, and 8 rebounds, followed by Michael Porter Jr. with 20.

Betting Trends

Minnesota has covered the spread in 6 of the last 7 games against Denver. The Timberwolves are 5-0 ATS in their last five games overall, 8-2 ATS in the last 10 games on the road and  5-1 ATS in the last 6 games against teams from the Western Conference. The Nuggets are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games overall, 5-11 ATS in the last 16 games against teams from the Northwest Division and 2-4 ATS in the last 6 games played on Monday.

Prediction and Conclusion

The Minnesota Timberwolves stunned the defending champions to open the series with a road win in Denver. Anthony Edwards is literally unstoppable this season, and he proved that with a 43-point performance in the series opener. It is not easy to beat the Nuggets on the road, and it is quite unthinkable to beat them twice in a row. Nikola Jokic put up his numbers in Game 1, but he had seven turnovers and missed a couple of big shots late in the game. This is a huge challenge for the Nuggets, but they are a championship team for a reason, and they will get back in the series tonight by covering the -4.5-point spread.