Minnesota Timberwolves vs Denver Nuggets
October 8, 2021 9:00 pm EDT
The Line: Denver Nuggets -2 / Minnesota Timberwolves +2
(Get latest betting odds)
The Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets meet Friday in NBA preseason action at the Ball Arena. The Minnesota Timberwolves look for another win after beating the Pelicans in their preseason opener. The Denver Nuggets need a win after losing their first two preseason games.
The Minnesota Timberwolves have split their last eight preseason games. The Minnesota Timberwolves are averaging 117 points on 45.7 percent shooting and allowing 114 points on 41.4 percent shooting. D’Angelo Russell is averaging 19 points and five assists while Karl-Anthony Towns is averaging 15 points and four assists. Naz Reid is the third double-digit scorer and Taurean Prince is grabbing three rebounds. The Minnesota Timberwolves are shooting 32.6 percent from beyond the arc and 77.3 percent from the free throw line. The Minnesota Timberwolves are allowing 32.4 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 49 rebounds per game.
The Denver Nuggets have won six of their last nine preseason games. The Denver Nuggets are averaging 109 points on 45.8 percent shooting and allowing 110.5 points on 45.3 percent shooting. Michael Porter Jr. is averaging 23 points and seven rebounds while Nikola Jokic is averaging 17 points and 10 rebounds. Nah’Shon Hyland is the third double-digit scorer and PJ Dozier is grabbing three rebounds. The Denver Nuggets are shooting 32.9 percent from beyond the arc and 70.5 percent from the free throw line. The Denver Nuggets are allowing 41.4 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 44 rebounds per game.
The Timberwolves are 5-16-1 ATS in their last 22 Friday games and 5-1-1 ATS in their last 7 road games. The Nuggets are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games playing on 1 days rest and 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games overall.
The Minnesota Timberwolves looked sharp in their preseason opener and they gave a lot of their better players some serious run. The Denver Nuggets have also played a lot of their key players through two games, but they’ve also been shaky at best on the defensive end, especially allowing 40-plus percent shooting from deep. The Timberwolves will have their chances to score a lot in this contest. I’d back the Timberwolves assuming we can get them in the underdog role.
