The Denver Nuggets absolutely annihilated the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 1 of their first-round series. Are they destined to pull off a similar outcome in Game 2? Oddsmakers think so.
Go ahead and see for yourself. Here are the latest odds on the 2023 NBA playoffs for this matchup entering Game 2:
| To Win |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Denver Nuggets | -360 | -360 | -330 |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | +290 | +290 | +265 |
Like usual, please remember to double-check these NBA online betting odds before you actually submit your wager. Our Nuggets vs. Timberwolves betting odds are accurate as of Tuesday, April 18. That gives gambling sites plenty of time to make changes ahead of opening tip-off on Wednesday, April 19, at 10 p.m. EST.
On the bright side, you don't have to worry about missing out on any last-minute alterations so long as you sign up with the right betting site. That's where our reviews of the top online sportsbooks can help. We've pored over every nook and cranny of the most popular odds providers. The information we provide should help you easily spot the best online betting sites for the 2023 NBA playoffs.
As for the odds on Game 2 between the Nuggets and Timberwolves, linemakers aren't giving Minnesota much of a shot. That makes sense in theory. The one-seed versus eight-seed matchups aren't supposed to be especially close, and Denver just blasted the Timberwolves by 29 points Sunday night. However, Denver was dealing with some engagement and chemistry issues to close the regular season, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. Are we just supposed to believe those are no longer an issue?
Without further delay, let's get to our Nuggets vs. Timberwolves Game 2 predictions.
The Minnesota Timberwolves Look Like No Match for the Denver Nuggets
After their Game 1 beatdown at the hands of Denver, Minnesota discussed a lot of the adjustments they could make. They talked about making more shots, about involving Rudy Gobert more, about not letting the Nuggets run rampant in transition and about so much more. Our question: Are we sure it matters?
The Timberwolves are already at a massive disadvantage in this series. Both Naz Reid and Jaden McDaniels, their best defender, are done for the season. Third-year star Anthony Edwards is also clearly playing through a variety of injuries. The latter is terrible news for a team that's struggled on offense for much of this year. Karl-Anthony's return has provided a jolt and Mike Conley offers a bunch of connectivity, but Minnesota so often looks like it doesn't have enough firepower. They can try to put Denver in scramble mode on more possessions by increasing the frequency with which they get into early offense rather than slowing things down, but this presumes they have the personnel to do so. They might not.
Edwards can absolutely play at a faster pace. Conley, Gobert and others? Not so much. What's more, the Timberwolves dual-big model isn't a good match for the Nuggets. They put Gobert on Nikola Jokic in Game 1, which wasn't too effective. That left Towns to hide on Aaron Gordon—a smart move given that Gordon's offense is on the downswing. But the Wolves had no answer for the shot-making of Jamal Murray or Michael Porter Jr, and they couldn't halt the off-ball movement of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, either.
In general, this just might not be a Rudy Gobert series. Not only is he dealing with back spasms, but he's less of a defensive asset when Jokic, the reigning two-time MVP, is the person he's guarding. Jokic prefers to work from the outside-in. Gobert excels doing the exact opposite. The problem is, if the Wolves don't put Gobert on Jokic, they can really only roll with KAT. That's another problem unto itself.
Indeed, Game 2s typically see the squads who lost in Game 1 have a better hold on their opponent. We shouldn't expect anything less from Minnesota. But the individual matchups we're looking at don't favor them in the slightest—especially if Edwards is this far away from full strength.
OSB Prediction: Denver Nuggets (-360)
Will Denver Deliver Another Blowout in Game 2?
Here are the latest NBA point spread betting odds for the Nuggets and Timberwolves in Game 2:
- Denver Nuggets, -8.5 (-110)
- Minnesota Timberwolves, +8.5 (-110)
Typically, in this situation, we'd be against the team up 1-0 covering an almost double-digit spread in Game 2. The Wolves can still be a solid defensive team, and the Nuggets have churned out wildly inconsistent performances from Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr.
Still, we don't really care. The Nuggets so thoroughly dominated in Game 1 that winning by nine points should be light work. Heck, it was basically light work during the regular season. Denver outscored opponents on their home floor by 9.8 points per game—the second largest differential, trailing only the Memphis Grizzlies.
OSB Prediction: Denver Nuggets, -8.5 (-110)
Can the Timberwolves Generate Consistent Offense Against the Nuggets?
Below you can see the latest NBA over/under betting odds for the Timberwolves and Nuggets in Game 2:
- Over 222.5 (-110)
- Under 222.5 (-110)
Join us in going all the way under this one.
Denver's offense is high-powered enough to hold up their end of the bargain in Game 2. We are less sure about the Timberwolves. Even if Anthony Edwards has a big game, who else will join him? Towns has been all over the place, and Conley isn't one to get up a ton of shots these days.
Most critically, the Wolves' half-court attack has actually struggled when Conley, Gobert, Edwards and Towns all share the floor. Unless they speed things up, they'll make life easy on the Nuggets defense.
OSB Prediction: Under 222.5 (-110)
Take a look at this list of the top online sportsbooks so you can decide which one to use for all of your 2023 NBA playoffs betting:
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