The NBA playoffs roll on Saturday, with four total games on the schedule. We have a pair of matinee games, which we covered in the Same-Game Parlays (SGP) piece. For our best NBA picks & predictions for Saturday, April 25th’s game Nuggets vs. Timberwolves.
Go premium to view top prop bets based on Cover Probability, Expected Value & Star Rating >>
Saturday’s Best NBA Picks: Nuggets vs. Timberwolves
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook | All bets are for 1 unit
Denver Nuggets (-122) at Minnesota Timberwolves (+104) | O/U 229.5 (-110/-110)
The Nuggets face a must-win situation in the Twin Cities against the Timberwolves in Game 4. Denver suffered a 113-96 loss in Game 3 as 1.5-point underdogs while the Under (232.5) cashed, and the Nuggets are in serious trouble.
Minnesota was very sharp in Game 3 as the series shifted back to its home court, as the Timberwolves hit 47% (44-of-93) from the field, and 26% (9-of-34) from behind the 3-point line. The Timberwolves were plus-13 on rebounds, and a whopping plus-19 on assists. It also had a plus-3 in blocks, while it was plus-14 in fast-break points. Perhaps the most confounding of all for Denver fans and bettors, Minnesota was plus-34 in points in the paint despite the presence of Nikola Jokic for the Nuggets.
Jokic was just 7-of-26 from the field, finishing with 27 points, 15 rebounds; and two steals, but he didn’t have a block. Minnesota did an amazing job mitigating the pivot, while only Jamal Murray (16 points) was able to get double digits in points, among the other Denver starters.
Ayo Dosunmu, a key acquisition from the Chicago Bulls at the NBA trade deadline, led the team with 25 points off the bench, hitting 10-of-15 from the field, while chipping in with nine assists in 32 minutes. All five starters had double-digit point totals, too, while Rudy Gobert ended up with 10 points, 12 rebounds, and three blocks for the double-double. Jaden McDaniels also had 20 points and 10 boards with a block for the other double-double.
Minnesota will need those big type of stat lines again in Game 4, and I’m not entirely convinced it will be able to be nearly as effective. The Joker isn’t missing 19 field-goal attempts again, no matter what kind of D the Wolves throw at him. Expect Denver to bounce back big time, and we’ll stick with the Under theme until the offense starts to pick up for both sides.
Picks: Nuggets -1.5 (-110) & Under 229.5 Points (-110)
Joe Williams is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Joe, check out his archive and follow him @winwithjoe