Nuggets vs. Timberwolves prediction and odds for Monday, January 2 (Denver wins again)
By Peter Dewey
The Denver Nuggets are coming off a huge win over the Boston Celtics on Sunday, but now they’re on the road against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second leg of a back-to-back.
Denver has a one-game lead in the Western Conference, and the team has moved to eighth in the NBA in net rating this season.
Nikola Jokic is looking like an MVP candidate once again, and he has a fun matchup with Rudy Gobert, a chance to show why he’s the best big man in basketball for the third straight season.
Minnesota has been struggling with Karl-Anthony Towns sidelined, losing six straight games to fall to 11th in the conference.
Despite that, Denver is just a short favorite on the road in this game. The Wolves have gone 9-9 at home, while Denver is 10-9 on the road.
How should we bet on this matchup? First, let’s dive into the latest odds:
Nuggets vs. Timberwolves odds, spread and total
Nuggets vs. Timberwolves prediction and pick
There’s no way I can trust this Wolves team until Towns comes back, as they rank 20th in the NBA in offensive rating, 21st in net rating and 14th in defensive rating.
The Nuggets are finally healthy with Michael Porter Jr. back in the lineup, and they’ve been hot as of late, winning eight of their last 10 games.
Denver is now playing the No. 2 offense in the NBA, which is going to make things tough on a Wolves team missing arguably its best offensive player in Towns.
I’m forgetting the points in this game and taking Denver to win this game as a short favorite. The Wolves have a home loss to the Detroit Pistons in this six-game losing streak, which is highly concerning for them going forward.
The Nuggets may be on a back-to-back, but the Nuggets are 2-1 ATS in this spot this season.
Find Peter Dewey’s full betting record here.
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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.