The Denver Nuggets visit the Minnesota Timberwolves for a Wednesday night showdown between two first-round foes in the 2023 NBA Playoffs. It's time to continue our NBA odds series with a Nuggets-Timberwolves prediction and pick.

The defending champs will vie for a 5-0 start to their 2023-24 campaign after beating the Utah Jazz, 110-102, on Monday. Reigning Finals MVP Nikola Jokic notched his 107th career triple-double with 27 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists. Jamal Murray shot just 7-of-19 from the field for 18 points, but the Canadian did record 14 assists, coming up just one dime shy of tying his career-high. Aaron Gordon also had an efficient 21 points on 7-of-10 field goal shooting.

On the other hand, the Timberwolves are coming off a 127-113 loss to Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks. Anthony Edwards went for 31 points, five rebounds, and seven assists on 13-of-21 shooting. But his performance certainly wasn't able to match the 41-point show that Hawks star Dejounte Murray put on. Minnesota lost this one in the fourth quarter, where they were outscored by 14 points. The Timberwolves are now 1-2 on the regular season.

Here are the NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

NBA Odds: Nuggets-Timberwolves Odds

Denver Nuggets: -2.5 (-106)

Minnesota Timberwolves: +2.5 (-114)

Over: 219.5 (-110)

Under: 219.5 (-110)

How to Watch Nuggets vs. Timberwolves

Time: 8:00 PM ET/ 5:00 PM PT

TV:

Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why The Nuggets Could Cover The Spread

The defending champs enter this game as three-point favorites over a Timberwolves team struggling out of the gates to begin the season. Nikola Jokic is already in midseason despite revealing he, not once, touched a basketball during the offseason after going the distance until June to win Denver its first NBA title. The two-time NBA MVP is averaging 26.5 points, 12.3 rebounds, and 8.5 assists while shooting nearly 65 percent from the field, including 42.9 percent from beyond the arc.

Jamal Murray is still in regular season form with averages of 20.0 points, 2.o rebounds, and a career-best 8.3 assists through four games. The Canadian has been locked in to begin the new year as he is shooting 50.0 percent from three and 49.2 percent overall from the field.

Denver already boasts the 5th best defense in the NBA, which shows just how connected the team already is early in the campaign. They likely won't have any issues in trying to contain a Timberwolves offense that ranks just 23rd in the entire NBA.

The Nuggets won't really have anyone on the injury report other than Vlatko Cancar, who is out indefinitely after undergoing surgery on his left knee.

with the 4-0 start in the standings, the Nuggets are just 2-2 against the spread. In addition, they are 0-4 on the over/under.

Why The Timberwolves Could Cover The Spread

The Timberwolves enter this game as just three-point underdogs against the defending champs despite an underwhelming beginning to their 2023-24 campaign. They lost to the Toronto Raptors to open their campaign and once again to the Atlanta Hawks as they watched Dejounte Murray go off in front of their very eyes. Minnesota's lone win came against the Miami Heat, but it was without Jimmy Butler.

Anthony Edwards has led the team with 25.3 points per game to go along with 7.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists. He started off the season on a sour note as he shot a paltry 8-of-27 from the field in their season-opening loss to the Raptors. Ant has been trending up over his last two games, tallying 50 points combined while shooting 55.6 percent from the field and 61.5 percent from long distance.

Unfortunately, the Timberwolves haven't gotten the kind of production expected of their No. 2 scoring option Karl-Anthony Towns. KAT is averaging just 15.7 points, even behind backup big man Naz Reid's 16.0 points per game. He has also struggled mightily from the field. The 27-year-old is shooting just 37.0 percent field goal and 23.5 percent from three.

Minnesota's defense has been solid so far on the season. They currently rank in the top 10 on that end of the floor. However, the offensive side is where they are struggling most. The Timberwolves rank just 23rd in offensive rating this season so far.

The Timberwolves should also have the bitter taste of losing in the first round to this very same team last summer. So, that could give them extra motivation for this one.

Minnesota shares the same record on the money line as it is against the spread. They have also gone 1-2 on the over-under.

Final Nuggets-Timberwolves Prediction & Pick

Pick the Nuggets to win this game — and win it convincingly. Denver has been rolling to start the year and is proving why it is the reigning NBA champs. They are just on a different level from the rest of the pack — and no Timberwolves pack is going to put their first blemish of the season.

Final Nuggets-Timberwolves Prediction & Pick: Denver Nuggets: +2.5 (-106), Over: 219.5 (-110)