The Denver Nuggets put on a masterclass in their Game 1 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday. While this may not be the most exciting series on the slate, it showed why the Nuggets earned the No. 1 seed in the West. Jamal Murray led the way with 24 points, eight assists and eight rebounds, while back-to-back reigning MVP Nikola Jokic had a 13-point, 14-rebound, six-assist night. The Timberwolves just looked outmatched, and it's going to take a major rebound from them if they want to steal Game 2 on the road Wednesday night.
Minnesota's stars struggled to match Denver's offensive firepower, with Karl-Anthony Towns putting up just 11 points, and Anthony Edwards adding just 18 of his own. That's not going to be enough to win a game against this Denver team, so it will be interesting to see how this team changes its gameplan for Game 2.
In preparation for Game 2, here's everything you need to know about this matchup.
(1) Denver Nuggets vs. (8) Minnesota Timberwolves
- Date: Wednesday, April 19 | Time: 9 p.m. ET
- Location: Ball Arena -- Denver
- TV channel: TNT | Live stream: TNT app
- Odds: Nuggets -8.5; O/U 222 (via Caesars Sportsbook)
Storylines
Nuggets: What's not to like about Denver's Game 1 win? All five starters scored in double figures, Bruce Brown gave 14 points off the bench, and the team had no difficulty in getting whatever shot it wanted. On the defensive side of things, they made life incredibly difficult for Karl-Anthony Towns. Credit Aaron Gordon and Jeff Green, who split time guarding the All-Star big man. During the time Gordon guarded KAT, the big man went 0 of 4 from the floor and committed three turnovers. This is exactly why the Nuggets traded for Gordon, and he's making his presence known early in this series on the defensive end.
Timberwolves: Speaking of Towns, the Timberwolves simply need more out of him. Yes, the Nuggets played great defense on him, but there were several occasions where his shot selection was questionable at best. While he's a talented shooter from 3-point territory, there were a couple times where he shouldn't have pulled up from deep. He had the most success backing down smaller defenders and getting shots from mid-range, which shows that Minnesota needs to get more defensive switches for him to go to work in the post. We may see some of that in Game 2 as the Wolves try and force Gordon and Green into switches to get someone smaller like Murray or Kentavious Caldwell-Pope on him.
Prediction
I think the Timberwolves will get a win in this series, but it'll come at home, so I'm going with the Nuggets in this game. They just looked so complete in Game 1, and I don't entirely trust Minnesota's supporting cast. The pick: Nuggets -8.5
