Nuggets begin playoffs against the Timberwolves
The Denver Nuggets host the Minnesota Timberwolves to open the Western Conference first round
Minnesota Timberwolves (49-33, sixth in the Western Conference) vs. Denver Nuggets (54-28, third in the Western Conference)
Denver; Saturday, 3:30 p.m. EDT
LINE: Nuggets -6.5; over/under is 231.5
WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND: Nuggets host first series matchup
BOTTOM LINE: The Denver Nuggets host the Minnesota Timberwolves in game one of the Western Conference first round. Denver went 3-1 against Minnesota during the regular season. The Timberwolves won the last regular season meeting 117-108 on Sunday, March 1 led by 21 points from Anthony Edwards, while Nikola Jokic scored 35 points for the Nuggets.
The Nuggets are 11-5 against Northwest Division teams. Denver is third in the Western Conference with 34.2 defensive rebounds per game led by Jokic averaging 9.9.
The Timberwolves are 9-7 against the rest of the division. Minnesota ranks second in the Western Conference shooting 37.0% from 3-point range.
The 122.1 points per game the Nuggets score are 7.5 more points than the Timberwolves allow (114.6). The Timberwolves are shooting 48.1% from the field, 1.3% higher than the 46.8% the Nuggets' opponents have shot this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Jokic is scoring 27.7 points per game with 12.9 rebounds and 10.7 assists for the Nuggets. Jamal Murray is averaging 22.3 points and 3.6 rebounds while shooting 51.0% over the last 10 games.
Rudy Gobert is scoring 10.9 points per game and averaging 11.5 rebounds for the Timberwolves. Julius Randle is averaging 15.2 points and 4.0 rebounds over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Nuggets: 10-0, averaging 131.2 points, 48.6 rebounds, 32.6 assists, 6.3 steals and 4.3 blocks per game while shooting 51.2% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 120.7 points per game.
Timberwolves: 5-5, averaging 115.2 points, 40.4 rebounds, 25.3 assists, 8.9 steals and 6.9 blocks per game while shooting 46.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 115.5 points.
INJURIES: Nuggets: Tim Hardaway Jr.: day to day (knee), Christian Braun: day to day (ankle), Jamal Murray: day to day (shoulder), Aaron Gordon: day to day (hamstring), Peyton Watson: out (hamstring), Cameron Johnson: day to day (injury management), Spencer Jones: day to day (hamstring).
Timberwolves: Kyle Anderson: day to day (knee), Mike Conley: day to day (rest), Jaden McDaniels: day to day (hip), Julius Randle: day to day (hand), Naz Reid: day to day (injury management), Ayo Dosunmu: day to day (calf), Anthony Edwards: day to day (knee), Rudy Gobert: day to day (rest), Bones Hyland: day to day (hip).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
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