PREVIEW
When the Minnesota Timberwolves acquired Rudy Gobert from Utah this offseason, it seemed like he is likely to be the ultimate piece they wanted to turn into a contender.
But with a brand new calendar yr upon it, Minnesota is much from the highest and looking for solutions.
The Timberwolves have misplaced six in a row, the final a demoralizing house loss to the Detroit Pistons on Saturday evening, and now face the highest crew within the Western Conference when the Denver Nuggets come to Minneapolis on Monday evening.
Head-to-head file
Regular Season Games: 137
Minnesota Timberwolves: 52 Wins
Denver Nuggets: 85 Wins
Minnesota is 5 video games below .500 and sits eleventh within the Western Conference. Center Karl-Anthony Towns has not performed since Nov. 28 because of a proper calf pressure however must be returning shortly, however he gained’t play in opposition to Denver, which makes the duty of defending two-time MVP Nikola Jokic that a lot harder.
Minnesota is 6-10 since Towns went out with the harm.
Gobert has confronted Jokic many instances when he was with the Jazz, and Monday must be one other problem for him.
While that may be a concern, the larger difficulty for Minnesota is getting out of their downward spiral. After the 116-104 loss to Detroit, the Timberwolves held a players-only assembly to attempt to discover options.
“We’ve got two options; we can sit back and feel sorry for ourselves or we can just look ahead and understand that it’s still a long season and we’ve got a lot of time left if we keep that mindset of just keep getting better,” Gobert informed The Athletic after the assembly.
Monday’s sport is the primary of 4 between the groups, and all of the video games are going to happen in a span of six weeks.
One benefit for Minnesota is the truth that the Nuggets performed Sunday evening in opposition to Boston to wrap up a stretch of 5 video games in eight nights, however they’re coming in with momentum. Denver beat the Celtics, who’ve the perfect file within the NBA, 123-111.
“We can come out and handle business,” mentioned Aaron Gordon, who had 18 factors and 7 assists in Sunday’s win. “It’s not about the other team, it’s about the standard we hold ourselves to.”
One participant who may very well be rested for Monday’s sport is guard Jamal Murray. Murray sat out Sunday’s sport as a part of administration for his surgically-repaired left knee, a technique the Nuggets have used this yr as he works his manner again to full well being.
Other than Murray and Jeff Green, who’s out with a fractured proper hand, Denver is taking part in with a stacked roster and has been getting higher defensively over the past three weeks. The Nuggets are 10-2 since dropping three straight initially of December, and coach Michael Malone mentioned one secret is protection.
“Within that stretch we probably rank 10th (in the NBA) in defensive efficiency,” he mentioned after Sunday’s win. “There is no secret between the correlation between defense and winning. I can talk about pace but defense wins.”
It helps having a singular participant like Jokic, who notched his ninth triple-double of the season after placing up 30 factors, 12 rebounds and 12 assists in opposition to the Celtics.
-Reuters
When and the place is the NBA 2022-23 common season match between Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets being performed?
The NBA 2022-23 common season match between Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets is being performed on the Target Center Stadium, Sacramento on January 3, Tuesday.
At what time will the NBA 2022-23 common season match between Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets start?
The NBA 2022-23 common season match between Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets will start at 6:30AM IST.
Where are you able to watch the NBA 2022-23 common season match between Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets in India?
You can watch the NBA 2022-23 common season match between Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets in India utilizing an NBA League cross on www.nba.com
