The Minnesota Timberwolves will be looking to snap their run of three consecutive home defeats when they go head to head with the Denver Nuggets at Target Center on Saturday.
The Nuggets, who have lost each of the last three competitive clashes between the two teams since a 112-97 win in the playoffs last season, will be aiming to end this dry spell and secure a seventh straight road win.
Match preview
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The Minnesota Timberwolves made it five wins from their most recent six matches on their travels as they brushed out the Dallas Mavericks 115-114 at the American Airlines Center on Thursday morning.
Having secured a 105-99 victory when the two sides met on Christmas Day, the Timberwolves journeyed to Dallas looking to claim consecutive wins over the Mavericks for the first time since December 2023.
With offensive leader Luka Doncic on the sidelines, Kyrie Irving and P. J. Washington combined for 66 points to keep the Mavericks in the contest, but Jaden McDaniels turned in a solid individual display as he knocked down a season-high 27 points to pull Minnesota through.
McDaniels finished as one of six Timberwolves players with double digits, including Antony Edwards, who dropped 21 points and veteran guard Mike Conley, who tallied 18 points to go with eight assists and five rebounds.
Before that, Chris Finch's men fell 124-117 against the Cleveland Cavaliers on January 19, 24 hours before falling to a close 108-106 defeat against the Memphis Grizzlies to extend their losing streak on home court to three games.
The Minnesota Timberwolves hold a 23-44 record this season to sit ninth in the Western Conference standings, just one win above 10th-placed Phoenix Suns in the final Play-In spot having played one more game.
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On the other hand, the Denver Nuggets continue to climb the Western Conference power rankings as they stormed to a 144-109 blowout victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday.
Nikola Jokic grabbed the headlines at Ball Arena once again as he dropped 27 points, 10 assists and 13 rebounds to record his fourth straight triple-double and 19th of the season and fire Denver to their 27th win of the campaign.
Six Nuggets players finished with double figures in a solid contribution across the board as Julian Strawther knocked down a career-high 23 points, while Aaron Gordon and Michael Porter Jr. dropped 19 points each.
Denver have now picked up three wins on the bounce, brushing aside the Miami Heat, the Orlando Magic and the 76ers, and have won seven of their most recent eight outings — with a 128-108 defeat against the Houston Rockets on January 16 being the exception.
Michael Malone's men have now improved to a 27-16 record from their 43 matches this season to move into fourth-place in the Western Conference standings, two wins behind the Memphis Grizzlies in third-place.
Before the Nuggets visit the Target Center in search of a seventh back-to-back victory on the road, they first return home to take on the Sacramento Kings, who have lost each of the last two meetings between the two teams since February 2024.
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Team News
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Minnesota Timberwolves will have to cope without the services of off-season acquisition Donte DiVincenzo, who has been ruled out indefinitely with a Grade 3 toe sprain.
Terrence Shannon Jr has been sidelined since coming off with a Grade 2 mid-foot sprain back in December and the 24-year-old is also out of contention for Finch's men.
While Jokic sat out the entire fourth quarter against the 76ers on Wednesday, the Serbian center dropped 27 points to complete his 149th triple-double of his career and the 29-year-old sits third in the NBA scoring chart with 30.1 points per game.
On the injury front, the Nuggets remain without the services of DaRon Holmes, who has been ruled out for the entire 2024-25 campaign after suffering a right Achilles injury in pre-season.
Vlatko Cancar sustained a knee injury in the game against the Grizzlies on November 20 and the Slovenian forward has been ruled out and will be re-assessed next week.
Minnesota Timberwolves possible starting 5:
Conley, Edwards, Gobert, McDaniels, Randle
Denver Nuggets possible starting 5:
Murray, Braun, Westbrook, Jokic, Porter Jr
We say: The Denver Nuggets to win by 5+ points.
Buoyed by their hard-fought victory against the Dallas Mavericks, the Timberwolves will head into Saturday's clash with renewed confidence as they look to secure their first home win since January 7. However, we predict Jokic will lead Denver to another victory as they continue to climb the conference standings.
Joshua Ojele
