Denver Nuggets vs Minnesota Timberwolves Prediction, 5/16/2024 Preview and Pick

Game: Denver Nuggets vs Minnesota Timberwolves

Date: Thursday, May 16, 2024

Location: Target Center in Minneapolis, MN

TV: ESPN

Odds/Point Spread: Denver (+3)

The Minnesota Timberwolves welcome the Denver Nuggets at Target Center on Thursday in Game 6 of the Western Conference Semifinals. The Nuggets lead the series 3-2. Denver opens this game as 3-point underdogs. The over/under has been set at 204.5.

The Nuggets notched a win by a score of 112-97 in Game 5. Denver wrapped up the contest with a 55.0% FG percentage (44 of 80) and made 9 of their 19 3-pointers. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Nuggets knocked down 15 of their 18 shots for a percentage of 83.3%. In regard to hauling in boards, they earned a total of 38 with 8 of them being on the offensive end. They also dished out 30 assists in this game as well as forcing the opposition into 14 turnovers and earning 6 steals. In the matter of defending, Denver allowed the other team to shoot 48.7% from the field on 38 out of 78 shooting. Minnesota doled out 30 dimes and had 7 steals for the game. In addition, Minnesota snagged 33 boards (8 offensive, 25 defensive) and earned 5 rejections. Minnesota went 68.4% from the charity stripe by burying 13 of their 19 shots. They also made 8 out of their 26 attempts from 3-point range. When discussing fouls, the Nuggets left the arena with 17 and the Timberwolves totaled 20 fouls.

Nikola Jokic is one player who had an impact in this matchup. Jokic finished the contest at 68.2% from the field and also totaled 13 assists. He played for 41 minutes and grabbed 7 rebounds. He accumulated 40 points on 15 out of 22 shooting.

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Denver will enter this contest with a win-loss record of 57-25 this year. They average 114.9 pts per contest (14th in basketball) while shooting 49.6% from the field. The Nuggets are hitting 37.4% on three-point attempts (958 of 2,560) and 76.2% from the free throw line. As a unit, Denver is collecting 44.4 boards per game and is sitting with 2,415 assists this season, which is 3rd in the league in terms of passing the rock. They cough up possession 12.6 times per game and as a squad they are committing 18.2 fouls per game.

Defensively, the Nuggets are forcing their opponents into 12.4 turnovers per contest while drawing 17.9 personal fouls. They rank 9th in the NBA in allowing assists with 2,108 surrendered on the year. The Nuggets are allowing a FG percentage of 46.2% (3,332 of 7,210) and they relinquish 42.3 rebounds per game as a group. They are giving up 35.5% on shots from distance and they are ranked 6th in basketball in PPG from their opponents (109.6).

When it comes to rebounding in Game 5, Minnesota permitted Denver to snag 38 in total (8 on the offensive glass). They finished shooting 47.4% from distance by shooting 9 out of 19 and ended up shooting 15 out of 18 from the free throw line (83.3%). The Timberwolves allowed the Nuggets to convert 44 of 80 tries from the floor which gave them a rate of 55.0% for the matchup. When this game wrapped up, the Timberwolves ended up going 38 out of 78 from the field which gave them a rate of 48.7%. With regard to shooting from 3-point land, Minnesota converted 8 out of 26 tries (30.8%). They were able to bury 13 of them for a percentage of 68.4%. The Nuggets earned 17 personal fouls in the game which took the Timberwolves to the free throw line for 19 tries. They turned the ball over 14 times, while earning 7 steals in the game. The Timberwolves recorded 25 defensive rebounds and 8 offensive boards for a total of 33 for the matchup.

Karl-Anthony Towns pitched in for the Timberwolves for the game. Towns tallied 23 points in his 38 minutes on the court and accounted for 4 assists for the contest. He knocked down 10 of 19 for the contest for a field goal percentage of 52.6%, and tallied 6 rebounds.

Minnesota has a record of 56-26 so far this season. On the offensive side of the court, the Timberwolves are connecting on 48.5% from the field, which has them ranked 10th in the league. Minnesota has accumulated 9,264 points so far this year (113.0 per game) and they grab 43.6 rebounds per contest. They are assisting teammates 26.6 times per game (15th in the NBA) and they are losing possession via turnover 14.2 times per contest. The Timberwolves are committing 18.8 personal fouls per game and they hit 77.7% from the charity stripe.

The Timberwolves are ranked 1st in the NBA in PPG surrendered with 106.5. They are forcing their opponents into 14.2 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 45.0% from the floor (1st in basketball). The Minnesota defense allows 35.4% on three-point shots (937 of 2,645) and opponents are knocking down 78.1% of their foul shots. They have relinquished 24.5 dimes and 41.4 total rebounds per game, which ranks 3rd and 4th in the league.

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Denver (+3)

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