The Denver Nuggets let game two get away from them after building a nineteen point lead against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Behind Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle, the Wolves were able to rally in a big second quarter and put Denver away late to earn a road victory. As Edwards stated after the win, all they needed was one, as in one road win which shifts homecourt advantage to Minnesota. Tonight it will be Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray’s first chance to swing the momentum back in the Nuggets direction. The winner of tonight’s game is in the driver’s seat, the loser is in a virtual must-win situation.

The Basics

Who: Denver Nuggets (1-1) at Minnesota Timberwolves (1-1)

When: 7:30 PM MST

Where: The House that Chris Finch’s Tears Built. Minnesota, MN.

How to watch/listen: Prime Video & Altitude Radio 92.5FM

Rival blog: Canis Hoopus

The Matchup

PositionNuggetsWolvesAdvantage
PGJamal MurrayAnthony EdwardsEven
SGChristian BraunDonte DivencenzoEven
SFCam JohnsonThe MasonNuggets
PFAaron GordonJulius RandleEven
CNikola JokicRudy GobertNuggets
BenchBruce Brown, Tim Hardaway Jr., Spencer Jones, Jonas ValanciunasNaz Reid, Ayo Dosdounmo, Bones Hyland, Mike Conley, Kyle AndersonEven

Injury report: Aaron Gordon – probable (calf), Peyton Watson – out (hamstring); Anthony Edwards – questionable (knee).

The Three Things

The thing to watch for: Jaden McDaniels getting the business

Oh he’s a talker that Jaden McDaniels. When he’s not busy practicing his main career of masonry and laying bricks all over the court, Jaden can be found giving dirty pushes in the back to opposing players and wondering why mugging a guy isn’t allowed in the NBA. He’ll then claim that the opposition are all terrible defenders even though he took more shots than scored points. Well, at least he’s not punching walls or trying to figure out where Egypt is…McDaniels is the type of guy that opposing fans hate. One of those guys who accommodates for lack of skill with physicality and consistently makes pushes the boundary of what a dirty player is. There are a couple of guys on the Nuggets who are sure to make a point with Jaden tonight, but unlike him they can have their game do the talking.

The thing to remember: We are down at The Sportsbook in Greenwood Village tonight!

Denver Stiffs and Mile High Sports are teaming up for watch parties all playoffs this year and for the opening series we’re branching out from our usual haunt and hitting a couple new spots around town. Tonight you will find us down at The Sportsbook in Greenwood Village for our watch party sponsored by Surfside Vodka Iced Teas and Lemonades. Zero carbonation. No bubbles, no troubles. (Brief tangent: do bubbles actually cause trouble?) You know the drill: giveaways, drink specials, live podcasts, great atmosphere and watching the game with fellow die-hard Nuggets fans and some of your favorite Stiffs and MHS personalities. Extra bonus! We’ve got an Avs game tonight too so Hockey Mountain High is going to be there as well and this watch party is going to be crazy. Make sure to get there a little early if you want to get the best seat.

The thing to bet: Nikola Jokic over 29.5 points (+102)

Even money on a Joker 30 piece tonight. I expect him to be aggressive and the Nuggets in general to make a concerted effort in getting Jokic the basketball early and often tonight. Jokic hasn’t shot the ball well thus far this series, mainly because he’s been awful from outside, and Rudy Gobert is certainly a tougher defender than most, but come on. We’ve seen this story too many times before and now everyone is acknowledging that Denver needs to feed Joker. Minnesota knows this too, the only question is can they stop it. Personally, if I’m putting money on it then I’m putting it on Nikola.