Minnesota Timberwolves – Denver Nuggets : top seeds collide at Target Center! 
This series is easily the most gripping of the NBA playoffs first round. After pulling off a stunning heist in Colorado, the Minnesota Timberwolves head home with a huge edge in belief. No one saw the hosts coming back after trailing by 19 in Game 2, but their fight changed everything. Denver arrive backed into a corner, wounded in their pride as champions.
Minnesota : Edwards factor and the Gobert wall 
The whole city held its breath when Anthony Edwards crashed into Jokic’s knee, but the Minnesota Timberwolves leader showed he is built differently. With 30 points and 10 rebounds, he powered the Minnesota Timberwolves to a famous win. The defensive blueprint for the Minnesota Timberwolves is simple: smother the guards and make Jokic work for every basket.
Rudy Gobert was a monster down the stretch, proving why the Minnesota Timberwolves backed him for the biggest nights. His ability to bother the reigning MVP in crunch time gives the Minnesota Timberwolves massive hope. At home, the Minnesota Timberwolves can feed off a fierce crowd and keep that physical pressure going. The Minnesota Timberwolves know Denver will make adjustments, but the momentum is firmly with the Minnesota Timberwolves. If the Minnesota Timberwolves can keep that same defensive discipline, the champions could wobble again. The Minnesota Timberwolves have also shown they are a different playoff team from the regular season.
Denver : a champion’s response is expected 
The Nuggets took a punch to the mouth. Blowing a 19-point lead at home does not look like Nikola Jokic’s team. The Serbian had a brutal final quarter, shackled by the paint defense at the other end (just 1 for 7 shooting). A fierce response is expected from him tonight, because champions do not stay down for long.
Denver have the firepower to put up 120 points every night, but their defence showed worrying cracks once Minnesota turned up the pace. Jamal Murray needs to rediscover his touch to pull defenders out and open space inside for his teammates. For Denver, Game 3 already feels like a final.
NBA prediction Timberwolves vs Nuggets
Over 231.5 total points
This is the highest-scoring series of these playoffs. Both teams play fast, aggressive basketball and have offensive talent that can catch fire at any moment. Denver remain a scoring machine and Minnesota are keeping pace thanks to the electric energy of their young stars.
Even if the defences tighten late on, the shot volume and the quality of the scorers on the floor point to a high total. Seven of Denver’s last eight games have gone over 232 points. Backing over 231.5 looks like the sensible play here.
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