The second game of Wednesday night's NBA doubleheader on TNT is an important Western Conference matchup between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets.
The Nuggets (47-28) are just 1.5 games behind 2-seed Houston in the West with seven regular season games remaining, while the Wolves (43-32) are a half-game behind Golden State for the all-important 6-seed.
Denver is just 5-5 in its last 10 games, but that includes a 2-3 mark in five games with Nikola Jokic out due to injury. Minnesota is playing well right now (7-3 in its last 10), with impressive double-digit wins over Phoenix and Detroit in its last two contests.
The Wolves are 3-0 this year vs. the Nuggets, and they won two of those matchups by at least 20 points.
Wolves vs. Nuggets Odds: Spread, ML, Total
DK FD bet365
MIN spread +3.5 (-112) +3.5 (-110) +3 (-105)
DEN spread -3.5 (-108) -3.5 (-110) -3 (-115)
MIN ML +130 +130 +135
DEN ML -155 -154 -160
Total 232.5 (o-110; u-110) 232 (o-114; u-106) 232 (o-110; u-110)
How to Watch Timberwolves vs. Nuggets
Tipoff: 10 p.m. ET
Channel: TNT/truTV/Max
Best Timberwolves vs. Nuggets Player Prop
Nikola Jokic o9.5 assists (+104 at FanDuel) -- 0.5 units
Jokic has recorded at least 10 assists in 36 of 64 games this year, and he had 13 and 11 in his team's first two games of the season vs. Minnesota.
While he only had four dimes in his last battle with the Timberwolves, I still feel good about his chances tonight.
Jokic has consistently reached double-digit assists throughout this year (only Trae Young averages more than Joker's 10.2 assists per game). It helps his chances that although Denver takes the fewest 3-pointers per game in the league, it is shooting 38.1 percent from 3-point land this year.
Whether this prop cashes tonight or not probably will come down to whether Jamal Murray and Co. can knock down open looks from outside. Denver shot exactly 11-for-32 on 3-pointers in both of the first two games vs. Minnesota this year. Related: Jokic recorded 11 and 13 assists in those contests.
But in the most recent MIN-DEN matchup, on March 15, the Nuggets shot just 7-for-30 (23.3 percent) from outside in a 115-95 loss at home, and Jokic finished that one with just four assists.
Denver, however, is coming off two strong shooting nights in its last two games -- a combined 27-for-66 (40.9 percent) vs. Milwauke and Utah last week -- and I like it to stay hot enough tonight for Jokic to reach this milestone.
Timberwolves vs. Nuggets Pick, Best Bets
This is a tough game to predict given that neither team is at full strength. Minnesota is without its top two bench players, as Naz Reid and Donte DiVincenzo were suspended for this game for their role in Minnesota's scrap with Detroit on Sunday.
There are a number of question marks for Denver as well. Christian Braun (probable), Aaron Gordon (questionable), Jamal Murray (questionable) and Nikola Jokic (probable) are all listed as game-time decisions, though Braun and Jokic should both be available.
And based on player props being listed for Murray and Gordon as of Tuesday afternoon, we should see those two in action as well.
If everyone for Denver is at least close to 100 percent, I don't see the Nuggets -- who are fresh after a three-day break since last Friday's lopsided win over Utah -- losing at home to a familiar foe that A) knocked it out of the playoffs a year ago and B) has defeated it three times this season.
The biggest issue for Denver in its battles with Minnesota the last two years has been defending Anthony Edwards. In addition to leading the Wolves' playoff upset of the Nuggets, he also played well as they split their four regular-season meetings vs. Denver in '23-24, scoring 24 points or more in all four matchups.
Tonight, though, I like the Nuggets to at least keep Edwards in check and get a key win at home to stay on Houston's heels for the 2-seed in the West.
Timberwolves vs. Nuggets Best Bet
Nuggets -3.5 (-108 at DraftKings) -- 1 unit
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This story was originally published April 1, 2025 at 12:39 PM.