After two tough games against the Oklahoma City Thunder, life doesn’t get much easier against the Minnesota Timberwolves. They’ve found a rhythm and are carrying a five-game winning streak into Denver tonight on national television. The Nuggets haven’t necessarily handled these spots well, but this is another opportunity to see what they can do against a playoff contender.

Let’s delve into the Minnesota Timberwolves matchup:

Denver Nuggets vs Minnesota Timberwolves

Projected Starting Lineups

Denver: Russell Westbrook, Jamal Murray, Christian Braun, Michael Porter Jr., Nikola Jokic

Minnesota: Mike Conley, Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Julius Randle, Rudy Gobert

Key Bench Players

Denver: Jalen Pickett, Peyton Watson, Zeke Nnaji, DeAndre Jordan

Minnesota: Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Donte DiVincenzo, Jaylen Clark, Naz Reid

Notable Injuries

Denver: Nikola Jokic – PROBABLE, Jamal Murray – PROBABLE, Aaron Gordon – DOUBTFUL, Julian Strawther – OUT, DaRon Holmes II – OUT

Minnesota: Rudy Gobert – QUESTIONABLE

Key for the Nuggets – Is Anthony Edwards their toughest matchup?

So far this season, the Nuggets are 0-2 against the Timberwolves, and Edwards is the biggest reason why. Edwards has averaged 31.5 points and 6.5 assists per game on 66% True Shooting in his two games against the Nuggets so far. Denver hasn’t had any answers yet, and with Edwards’ ability to hit threes at a high level, it’s a ton of space for Jokic to cover in pick and roll.

Can Christian Braun have a say about this matchup? The Nuggets had to double Shai Gilgeous-Alexander across the last two games, in part because Braun didn’t affect the process that much. They might have to do something similar for Edwards, though that leaves the Nuggets vulnerable behind the trap against an athletic and skilled team like Minnesota.

Important Matchup – Nikola Jokic vs Rudy Gobert

Jokic is going to do what Jokic does, but after facing the top ranked Oklahoma City Thunder the last two games, his reward being “Rudy Gobert” is a tough one. Jokic will have to work for good shots for himself and others in this game. Julius Randle won’t be defending him a ton, so it will mostly be Gobert. The Nuggets will have to be effective cutting and spacing around that 1-on-1 matchup depending on how much help the T’Wolves defense gives Gobert in the post.

On the other end, Jokic has been a bit porous defensively against rim rolling bigs that can catch lobs this season. Gobert has always been the king of that, and with Mike Conley likely in the starting lineup and Julius Randle figuring some things out as a passer, expect Gobert to make an impact with some lob dunks. Jokic will have to break as many of those up as he can while also boxing out Gobert on the glass.

Number of the Day – 16.2

+16.2 is the Denver Nuggets Net Rating on the second night of back-to-backs, according to Cleaning the Glass.

It doesn’t necessarily pertain to tonight’s game, but it’s important to note how much the back-to-backs have saved the Nuggets this season. They’ve had 13 B2Bs, and going 12-1 in those contests is remarkable. In addition, the Nuggets are 12-0 in the B2Bs that Jokic plays, missing only the Houston Rockets game in which the Nuggets were blown out.

Nugget who should have a good game: Jamal Murray

Since sustaining a minor injury back on December 5th against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Murray has been playing excellent basketball, averaging 23 points per game on 49% from the field, 42% from three, and 90% from the free throw line.

Murray’s consistency as a playmaker and scorer has been extremely notable, as has his ability to generate separation. It was one of the bigger concerns in the playoffs last year when Murray couldn’t get away from the hounding defense of Anthony Edwards, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and Jaden McDaniels consistently, and the Nuggets needed more from him this year. So far, the’ve gotten it.

With Gobert focused on Jokic and Murray playing as well as he is technically, I think he’s in for another big game vs a division rival. Edwards will guard him for a bit, but it will probably be Alexander-Walker and DiVincenzo off the bench for the most part. Murray can and should make that work.