It would be hard to find many people that would have foreseen this situation. The defending champions Denver Nuggets, fresh of beating the Los Angeles Lakers in 5 games, are now going on the road having dropped both home games. The crown in Minnesota should be wild tonight, with momentum building for the idea that the Timberwolves could go all the way this year. But against a team as experienced as the Nuggets, they should be in for a real battle here. You can check out all of our NBA picks for today’s games, but for now, let’s jump into my Game 3 Nuggets vs Timberwolves Same Game Parlay picks.
It is now all or nothing for the Denver Nuggets as they try and stop this series from getting out of hand. If they go 3-0 down tonight, it would leave them in a situation from which no team has recovered in the history of the playoffs. The defending champions will be helped by the fact that the last game between the sides was on Monday, giving them time to recoup and gather themselves. Their offense was the biggest question mark in the opening games, but the team finished the season ranked 5th in offensive rating. They have real potential to bounce back on that front tonight. Jamaal Murray has been dealing with a calf issue and the extra days off between the games should help him return to form. I expect him and Nikola Jokic to torment Rudy Gobert in pick-and-roll coverage.
The Nuggets have already picked up a win on the road against the Timberwolves so should not be fazed the occasion. They had a relatively strong record on the road in the regular season, finishing 24-17. They also won their first road game of the series against the Los Angeles Lakers in the previous round. The return of Gobert tonight could also help the Nuggets defensively in stretches. With him on the floor, the spaces worsens compared to when Naz Reid and Karl-Anthony Towns are out there. It should allow the Nuggets to put more bodies in the paint, which could help them slow down Anthony Edwards. I expect the visitors to punch back tonight.
I back Nikola Jokic to knock down shots from outside in Game 2 but the situation changed as soon as news broke that Gobert would not play. With the Frenchman back in the lineup, the need returns for Jokic to space the floor and pull the Defensive Player of the Year away from the paint. Jokic was able to make 2 of his 9 attempts against the Timberwolves in Game 1 and should return to a higher number of attempts tonight. The MVP averaged 35.9% from beyond the arc this regular season and should be favored to hit this line even if his number of attempts drop to 6 here. I expect Murray getting and finishing at the rim. He will struggle to do that if Gobert is there. Considering the Frenchman prefers to be in drop coverage, Jokic should be able to get clean looks from the outside. The Timberwolves are allowing 36.4% from beyond the arc to opponents this offseason and should struggle to contest him here. Back the over on this one.
