NBA 2021/22 on Wednesday, 02.02.2022
Both franchises are namely excelling moving forward! Moreover, it also appears from my Nuggets Timberwolves that the defenses are far less solid – another indication of a lot of two- and three-pointers!
Actually, the Timberwolves shouldn’t have played that well at all! That’s because D’Angelo Russell was unable to suit up against the Jazz due to a shin injury – the stats on that are unmistakable.
The Wolves had only won four of the 15 NBA games in which D’Angelo Russell, Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns were not on the floor together.
Yesterday, however, that rule was turned on its head as Minnesota triumphed over the Jazz (126-106) in very emphatic fashion despite the absence of a member of the Big Three.
That’s one of the things that makes these young guns so unpredictable.
However, in their last appearance the Timberwolves had to deal with an opponent who was known not to be at 100%. After all, the Jazz were again missing their best players in Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell.
For the Nuggets it was similar to Minnesota, as the franchise from Colorado had to play their last game against the strong defending champions without DeMarcus Cousins. But Denver also managed to surprise the bookmakers in a positive way.
The Bucks were pulverised with 136:100! From this first snapshot, one can get the impression that both the Wolves and the Nuggets, despite some personnel problems, can also hold their own against top teams – and how!
It is difficult to predict the winner of the third direct duel of the season before the tip-off. After all, both teams are prone to positive surprises – and thus remain unpredictable.
What we can say, however, after careful examination of the official NBA statistics, is that the offensive style of play of both opponents will at least drive up the score – regardless of who actually wins in the end.
Because according to said statistics, no other teams in the NBA have averaged more points during the last nine games than the Timberwolves (120.7) and the Nuggets (119.0)!
Note, however, that the Nuggets’ record in those nine games is “only” 5-4 despite an outstanding scoring output. The defence is therefore not too solid and could therefore also offer the Wolves loopholes.
All of this calls for an over/under bet that sets its sights on a score beyond the 230 mark. Incidentally, there is already a successful precedent for my Nuggets Timberwolves tip.
The last meeting took place in mid-December, which the Timberwolves won 124-107. However, Beverley and Russell were on the floor for the home side at that time, and their use in the rematch is highly questionable at present!
With odds of 1.70, the home side is the franchise most likely to win. The Nuggets’ odds to win, on the other hand, are around 2.20.
For me personally, there are too many question marks associated with this game to decisively favour one of the teams. For one thing, we don’t know who will be 100% – and for another, the score is 1 to 1 after season games.
Summary: Both franchises were missing an important element in their last appearance – and yet both the Nuggets and the Wolves managed to win their respective game against a top team.
Thus, both opponents seem to be able to maintain their outstanding offensive output regardless of the respective formation. Over the last nine NBA games, the average point output of both teams is higher than that of the entire competition!
Already in the last direct duel it came to a spectacular 124:107 in favour of the Wolves. This time I expect the 230 point mark to be shaken again – even if a winner remains difficult to determine.
My Nuggets Timberwolves tip: Over 230.5 points!
