Minnesota Timberwolves vs Denver Nuggets Prediction & Match Preview - December 15th, 2021 | NBA Season 2021-22
The Denver Nuggets will host the Minnesota Timberwolves at Ball Arena on December 15th.
The Minnesota Timberwolves will head into this game on the back of a 116-111 win against the Portland Trail Blazers. With the win, the Timberwolves are now 12-15 on the season.
The Denver Nuggets are also coming off a 113-107 win against the Washington Wizards. With this win, they have improved to 14-13 on the season.
Match Details
Fixture - Minnesota Timberwolves vs Denver Nuggets | 2021-22 NBA Season.
Date & Time - Wednesday, December 15th, 2021; 9:00 PM ET (Thursday, December 16th, 2021; 7:30 AM IST.)
Venue - Ball Arena, Denver, CO.
Minnesota Timberwolves Preview
The Minnesota Timberwolves' season has seen intense highs and lows. Coming off their win against Portland, the Timberwolves just ended a five-game losing streak that has seen them fall down the Western Conference leaderboards.
The win against Portland was much needed in that regard. Featuring a stellar performance by sophomore Anthony Edwards, the Minnesota Timberwolves rallied together, with six players recording double-digit scoring.
With a core unit of Edwards, D'Angelo Russell and Karl-Anthony Towns leading the charge and combining for 66 points, the Timberwolves managed to fend off the Trail Blazers' late-game attempts at winning.
DLo showed up in the clutch 🥶
18 pts./ 5 reb./ 5 ast./ 2 stl. https://t.co/VZQKKhcP3V
With a number of injuries on their roster early in the season, the recovered players make the Timberwolves look like a healthy side again. Although they will be shorthanded at the cost of D'Angelo Russell's potential absence in the next game, the Timberwolves' overall core remaining healthy is a massive upside.
Key Player - Anthony Edwards
The key player for the Minnesota Timberwolves in this game will be Anthony Edwards.
As a key player in the Timberwolves' rotation, Anthony Edwards plays a significant role in providing offense for the side. As one of the most gifted young players in the game, Edwards' style of play is infectious and charges the Minnesota Timberwolves' overall offense.
A1 led the team in scoring 🐜
24 pts./ 4 reb./ 3 ast./ 1 stl. https://t.co/rNWyCx59TF
Coming off a solid scoring night of 24 points against the Portland Trail Blazers, Edwards' role on the offensive end will be crucial to the Timberwolves' success against the Nuggets.
With D'Angelo Russell potentially missing the game and Karl-Anthony Towns having to face off against Nikola Jokic, Edwards will have to capitalize on his opportunities to dominate.
Minnesota Timberwolves Predicted Lineup
G - Patrick Beverley | G - Anthony Edwards | F - Jarred Vanderbilt | F - Jaden McDaniels | C - Karl Anthony-Towns
Denver Nuggets Preview
The Denver Nuggets have managed to win their second consecutive game following their latest win against the Washington Wizards. Featuring a severely depleted roster as well, the Nuggets continue to be a competitive side under their superstar Nikola Jokic.
ARE YOU SERIOUS @facucampazzo 🤯 https://t.co/HYakJAgwdK
The game against Washington saw some balanced contributions from the Nuggets' lineup. With scoring contributions from Jeff Green and Aaron Gordon, the efforts of Monte Morris in the backcourt also helped support the Serbian big-man.
Although the side shot poorly from beyond the arc and struggled with turnovers, the overall contribution on their rebounding helped the Nuggets pull away in this matchup.
Heading into the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Denver Nuggets will see some more key players sitting out due to injuries or illness. While Will Barton is likely to play, the absence of players in the rotation may raise some issues.
Key Player - Nikola Jokic
The Denver Nuggets will have to look to their superstar to step up for the side again. With the number of injuries that plague the roster, the Nuggets have no option but to rely on the reigning MVP to produce.
The Nuggets are missing their 2nd and 3rd best players. They are somehow 14-13.
They are +210 with Jokic on the floor.
-203 with Jokic off. https://t.co/1mQWrs690c
Nikola Jokic is one of the best big men in the league. With an all-round game that features passing, scoring and rebounding, Jokic is undoubtedly the center of the Denver Nuggets' offensive scheme.
Coming off a 28 point night against the Wizards, Jokic also contributed 19 rebounds and nine assists in the course of the game.
While Jokic was supported by Aaron Gordon in the frontcourt, the potential absence of Gordon for the next game may cause some issues for Jokic on the scoring end.
The upside, however, is that Jokic only played 31 minutes in his last game. With a good amount of rest going into the game against Minnesota, the Denver Nuggets will hope that their superstar can continue to produce.
Denver Nuggets Predicted Lineup
G - Monte Morris | G - Will Barton | F - Jeff Green | F - Zeke Nnaji | C - Nikola Jokic
Timberwolves vs Nuggets Match Predictions
The Minnesota Timberwolves vs Denver Nuggets matchup could potentially go either way. Although the Denver Nuggets won the last meeting between the two teams, the current situation makes forecasting a little more complicated.
With Minnesota returning to a healthy roster, the Nuggets' depleted lineup sees the Timberwolves win the upper hand. However, playing Denver at home is a tough task for most teams.
While also factoring in the fact that the Minnesota Timberwolves are not as good on the road, the Denver Nuggets may just walk away with a win in this matchup.
Where to watch Timberwolves vs Nuggets game?
The Minnesota Timberwolves vs Denver Nuggets game will be locally broadcast on Altitude. The game will also be available on the NBA’s League Pass platform. Fans can also listen to the game on the radio by tuning into KKSE 92.5 FM.