The Denver Nuggets clash with the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night.
The pregame narrative: Denver played a lot of extra basketball this week and that’s a huge reason why I like the Timberwolves to win tonight. Add a Nikola Jokic and Rudy Gobert prop to make up an intriguing +420 ticket.
Check out my Nuggets vs. Timberwolves same-game parlay predictions for Nov. 1.
Nuggets vs. Timberwolves predictions
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Parlay: Timberwolves moneyline + Jokic over 25.5 points + Gobert over 11.5 rebounds (+420)
Timberwolves moneyline (-175): The Nuggets have been in some gruelling contests over the past week, so I’m riding with the less fatigued side at home.
Denver went to overtime in consecutive games and squeaked out two wins over the far inferior Toronto Raptors and Brooklyn Nets.
Nikola Jokic played 40-plus minutes in both outings. Although I believe in the big man’s elite cardio, that is a testament to how much basketball the Nuggets have played over the last five days.
In addition, I believe the T-Wolves are the better team. They share an identical 2-2 record but have had to play the Sacramento Kings, Los Angeles Lakers, and Dallas Mavericks. The two losses (Lakers and Mavericks) came by a combined nine points.
Julius Randle has been a great addition to the Minnesota frontcourt, averaging 23.3 points on a 60.7% field goal percentage.
Minnesota has the better depth and is well-rested, playing its third straight game at home. No need to overthink this one.
SGP legs
Jokic over 25.5 points (-157): Even though Rudy Gobert is a four-time Defensive Player of the Year, he has difficulty guarding more skilled bigs.
On opening night, Anthony Davis lit up Gobert for 36 points and used his guard-like footwork to take advantage of the less mobile big man.
If there’s another centre in the league who can match Davis’ footwork it’s Jokic. He’s proven that by scoring 32 or more points in three straight outings against Minnesota.
With a lack of depth on the Nuggets’ roster, Jokic has logged more minutes than usual so far, which has led to significant production.
The reigning MVP played 35-plus minutes in all four games this year and is averaging over 30 points per game.
Gobert over 11.5 rebounds (-120): With Jokic having to take on a heavy workload, opposing centres have been able to feast on the glass.
In fact, players at that position are averaging 19.7 rebounds per game against Denver. The Nuggets have allowed 12-plus rebounds to an opposing centre in each game so far.
Some may think the overtime games are inflating these numbers but only Nic Claxton of the Nets needed the extra five minutes to clear this line and he played 26 minutes.
Jakob Poeltl of the Raptors grabbed 17 rebounds in regulation and added two more in OT.
Picks made at 9:50 a.m. on 11/01/24.
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Spencer is a true sports junkie. A graduate of the Sports Journalism program at Centennial College, he first joined NorthStar Gaming as an intern in 2023. He is now a contributing writer. He loves finding the edge to bet on in all sports but has a deep passion for the NBA and UFC. Previous stops include Sportsnet.