Minnesota Timberwolves vs Denver Nuggets Prediction: Will exhaustion hold back the Nuggets' domination?

The NBA trade deadline is here and we are just a few days away from it. Most of the trades actually take place a few hours or even minutes before the deadline and that period is a tough one for the NBA writers who have to keep up with the busy development. Anyway, keeping that in mind, let us jump into the game between the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Denver Nuggets.

Minnesota enters the match after losing 120:127 against the Orlando Magic despite a 29 points performance by D’Angelo Russell. The Wolves have won four of their last six games and this loss doesn’t represent how they have played since January. They have collected 28 wins and 27 losses, which is nothing impressive but their play has been to another level, thanks to Anthony Edwards, who is averaging 27+ for more than 30 days whereas Russell has taken it to another level. Unlike the last game, the Wolves' defense has been superb, with McDaniels playing a big role.

The Nuggets come into this game after defeating the Hawks 126:108, thanks to a 41 points outing by Jamal Murray. Murray has scored 32, 33, 41 in the last three games which have all been big wins. The three-game winning streak has put behind a window where they lost three of their four games. Minus that window, they have been amazing and have put in a lot of work this season, resulting in 37 wins and 16 losses, which is the joint-best record with the Celtics at the time of writing. Unlike last season, the Nuggets have Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr to help out Jokic and the former is just killing it on the offensive end. The defensive improvements have also been huge in the significant gains after the team had initial hiccups to start the season on that end.

The Wolves have two advantages here, first, this is a home game, and secondly, they have a day’s rest whereas the Nuggets just played last night. However, does it matter against a Nuggets squad that has been relentlessly pursuing its goal of winning a title? Minnesota has improved but they are nowhere near the Nuggets. Still, I give them an edge since they are playing at home and this can be a high-scorer. I predict a scoreline of 124:118 in favor of Minnesota.