Nuggets vs. Timberwolves Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for NBA Playoffs Game 2 (Denver's Defense Stands Tall Again)

The 2022-23 NBA Playoffs continue on Wednesday with Game 2 of the first round series between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets.

Nuggets vs. Timberwolves Game Info

• Date: Wednesday, April 19, 2023
• Time: 10:00 PM ET
• Venue: Ball Arena -- Denver, Colorado
• Coverage: TNT, ALT, and BSN

A disastrous offense was to blame for the Timberwolves' 109-80 Game 1 loss to the Nuggets on Sunday night. Minnesota shot just 37.0% from the floor and grabbed only 5 offensive rebounds. Denver deserves credit for its performance, which was led by Jamal Murray (24 points & 8 assists).

Nuggets vs. Timberwolves Odds & Spread

• All NBA betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Moneyline: DEN: (-370) | MIN: (+295)
• Spread: DEN: -8.5 (-108) | MIN: +8.5 (-112)
• Total: 222 -- Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)

The Nuggets enter this contest as substantial home favorites on the moneyline and spread per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This 10 p.m. ET clash also features an over/under of 222 points, with each side available at -110 odds.

Nuggets vs Timberwolves Betting Information

Favorite	Spread	Favorite Spread Odds	Underdog Spread Odds	Total	Over Total Odds	Under Total Odds	Favorite Moneyline	Underdog Moneyline
Nuggets	-8.5	-112	-108	223.5	-110	-110	-375	300

Nuggets vs. Timberwolves Betting Trends

• The Nuggets have covered the spread 45 times this season (45-34-1).
• The Timberwolves have covered the spread once this season when underdogs by 8.5 points or more (in three chances).
• This season, 37 of the Nuggets' games have gone over the point total.
• The Timberwolves have eclipsed the over/under 46.2% of the time this year (37 of 80 games with a set point total).
• Against the spread, Denver has fared better at home, covering 25 times in 40 home games, and 20 times in 40 road games.
• Minnesota has performed better against the spread away (21-18-1) than at home (18-21-1) this year.

Nuggets vs. Timberwolves Prediction & Pick

Minnesota center Rudy Gobert finished with a +/- of -28 in 26 minutes of action in Game 1. The Nuggets deemed him a non-scoring threat and were able to play shutdown defense on scorers like Karl-Anthony Towns as a result. Gobert was also picked apart at the rim by Denver's quick guards.

It's unlikely Gobert sees much of a decrease in playing time given he leads the team in rebounds and blocks. That obviously gives the Nuggets an advantage. Denver has been dominant inside Ball Arena all season, posting a 34-7 record to go along with an average scoring margin of +10.2 (No. 1 in NBA).

Minnesota has lost 15 of its last 20 games to Denver overall and has lost nine of its last 11 games played at Ball Arena. Seeing them step up on the offensive end against a team that ranks fifth in defensive efficiency at home would be surprising. All signs point to another Denver victory.

Final Score Prediction: Nuggets: 113 | Timberwolves: 103

Nuggets vs. Timberwolves Best Bet

It's worth diving deeper into how well the Nuggets play on the defensive end when in front of their home crowd. The Nuggets rank among the top 10 teams when it comes to opponent points per game (108.9), opponent shooting percentage (45.8%) and defensive rebounds per game (34.6) at home.

The Nuggets held the Timberwolves to just 80 points in Game 1 and have allowed an average of just 101.5 points over their last six home games. Not only that, Minnesota has averaged just 103.8 points over its last four games overall. Don't expect a huge offensive output from the road team in this one.

Bet: Minnesota Timberwolves Under 106.5 Points (-106)

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel. 

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.