NBA Betting Tips: Nuggets looking to finish the job

Just the one match features in my NBA betting tips for Thursday, as the Denver Nuggets travel to the Target Center for game six in their Western Conference play-off series against the Minnesota Timberwolves (01:30, live on TNT Sports 1).

The Nuggets are currently leading the series 3-2, and have the chance to advance to the Western Conference finals should they win this evening.

The Nuggets are looking to close out this series when they travel to Minnesota on Thursday night to face the Timberwolves in a crucial game six match-up.

After the initial two defeats in this series, many people were quick to write off Nikola Jokic and the defending champions, but the recently-crowned league MVP has led a resurgence from the Nuggets, as they've won the last three games of this series.

'The Joker' put together another masterpiece in game five, and showed why he's regarded as the best player in the NBA, scoring 40 points, taking his tally to 99 for the past three matches.

The Timberwolves have looked shell-shocked by this recent Denver resurgence after storming to a 2-0 lead, but it's easy to forget that this is a young team that are prone to blowing hot and cold.

Anthony Edwards, who has announced himself as a superstar for Minnesota on the biggest stage, conceded that Jokic put in a special performance in game five, and there wasn't much that the Timberwolves could do about it. Sometimes, sport is as simple as that - the opposing team have a generational talent, and it's the difference between winning and losing.

I'm expecting some sort of response - especially at home - from Minnesota as they're on the cusp of elimination, but they've got to find a way to slow down Jokic if they're to force a game seven. Since the Nuggets took game three, the Timberwolves have looked out of sync on both ends of the floor.

A key factor could be the health of Timberwolves guard Mike Conley, who did not play in game five on Tuesday because of soreness in his right achilles tendon, and his status is uncertain for Thursday's showdown.

My gut feeling is that Minnesota probably need an off-night from Jokic, as well as another historic performance from Edwards, in order to turn the tide here.

I was going to tip up the Nuggets on the spread, but with the momentum of the series firmly behind them, I believe backing Denver on the money line could be the more profitable play.

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