Like their first game of the season, the story of Nuggets vs. Timberwolves will be key injuries to the starting lineups. In a 127-114 win at Minnesota, the Nuggets were pushed by an Ant-less Wolves squad who couldn’t ultimately score enough to keep up with the NBA’s best offense.
Word came down on Friday that Christian Braun will be shelved at least six weeks with an ankle sprain, and Cam Johnson will also sit out the Nuggets’ second scrum at the Target Center with a minor but limiting bicep injury. The burden will fall on Bruce Brown, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Peyton Watson to keep the gears greased for a team looking to stay in reach of the Thunder atop the Western Conference.
The Basics
Who: Denver Nuggets (9-2) at Minnesota Timberwolves (8-4)
When: 6:00 PM MDT
Where: Target Center, Minneapolis, MN
How to watch/listen: Altitude/ + / Radio / HAM Radio
Rival Blog: Canis Hoopus
Injury Report: Nuggets | Christian Braun (Out, ankle sprain); Cam Johnson (Out, bicep)
Timberwolves | Terrance Shannon Jr. (Out, foot)
The Three Things
The thing to watch for: Who will emerge as CB’s replacement for the next 6 weeks?
Braun’s on-ball defense and relentless transition hustle will be hard to replicate. This is exactly why the Nuggets added depth during the off-season, though. Bruce seems like the natural choice to cover for the other Braun in the starting lineup since he is a better overall defender than Tim Hardaway Jr. and a smaller, quicker on-ball disruptor than the lankier Peyton Watson, who will likely be used heavily (if not start) in place of Cam Johnson.
The Nuggets could also opt to start THJ, rewarding his tenacious and hot-shooting start to the season. Hardaway Jr. killed the Wolves in the first game, and there’s no reason to expect he won’t get plenty of open shots in round two with Jokic demanding the attention he will after putting up 55 against mostly one-on-one Clippers’ defense. One potential curveball is having both Brown and THJ start as a small-ball backcourt, although this seems unlikely against the Wolves, in particular, given Edwards’ and McDaniels’ length and athleticism.
Fortunately for Coach Adelman, he has several good options this year and will be able to adjust the rotation as matchups dictate. Some young Nuggets who haven’t seen much time—Strawther and Pickett, in particular—will also benefit from the opportunity to solidify a rotation spot for what should be a long playoff run come April.
The thing to remember: The Wolves are streaking
Minnesota comes into the game on the second of a back-to-back, but they have won 4 in a row and 6 of 7, their only loss coming at New York. The competition hasn’t been the steepest, but 4 of the 6 wins have come on the road. In the last 4, Ant-Man is averaging 32/5/4 on 50% shooting overall and 46% from 3.
The Nuggets, of course, are on a streak of their own, having won 6 in a row and winning by double figures in all but one. This game does have the makings of a trap as Minnesota always plays the Nuggets tough, even when the good guys aren’t missing two starters.
The thing to bet: Jokic over on points, under on assists
While Braun and Johnson haven’t been consistent offensive contributors so far, the disruption to the starting lineup—and a matchup featuring a player, Rudy Gobert, who has a way of bringing out the best in Jok—seems like a reason to think 15’s historically dominant and efficient season won’t be derailed here. The Wolves are one of the tougher defenses for the team overall, though, which could lead to less assisting and more scoring for Nikola, especially if Ant and McDaniels can bottle up Murray, Brown, and THJ.
Don’t bet the cabin on the under, though, as Jokic leads the league in assists and could easily put up 11+ if THJ and Bruce cook in their increased minutes with the Serbian Slinger.
