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The Minnesota Timberwolves will visit the Denver Nuggets to for a duel of teams with 2-4 records in the 2020-21 NBA season. The game will be the second consecutive between these two teams, as the Nuggets defeated the Timberwolves 124-109 at Minnesota on Jan. 3.
Both squads have been struggling, with Denver winning just one of its first five games before beating Minnesota, and the Timberwolves losing their last four. Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray must put their team on a winning streak to stay among the best of the West, while Karl-Anthony Towns' health will need to improve to put Minnesota on the right track.
On that note, we create a combined starting five from these two teams. Some positions might be easy to decide, while others have close contests.
Minnesota Timberwolves vs Denver Nuggets: Combined starting five
The game will be played at Ball Arena, Denver, where the Nuggets have a 1-3 record. On Minnesota's side, they have a 1-2 record on the road. Their two losses on the road came in Los Angeles against the LA Lakers and LA Clippers.
Denver has been one of the best offensive teams of the NBA so far, with an Offensive Rating of 116.1 (third in the league). However, they have struggled defensively, as their Defensive Rating of 116.1 ranks 29th in the NBA.
On the other hand, Minnesota has been the worst defensive team in the league, with a Defensive Rating of 117 ranking 30th in the NBA. On offense, the Minnesota Timberwolves are suffering, too, as their Offensive Rating of 104 ranks 26th out of the 30 NBA teams.
With Karl-Anthony Towns only playing two games in the season, the Timberwolves have struggled a lot. He has been out with a wrist injury since Dec. 27, and the team has lost its last four without KAT.
Let's see a combined starting five from the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Denver Nuggets.
Point Guard - Jamal Murray (Denver Nuggets)
Jamal Murray is the second-best player on the Denver Nuggets' roster after all the great work he did in the 2020 NBA Playoffs.
The point guard is having a good year offensively, though the Denver Nuggets have struggled to win consistently. The Canadian is averaging a team-high 24 points per game, and his shooting splits are 49/41/75.
Against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Murray put up 36 points on 20 shots in Denver's 15-point win.
Shooting Guard - D'Angelo Russell (Minnesota Timberwolves)
In essence, D'Angelo Russell is a shooting guard disguised as a point guard. His high usage rate makes him look like the team's point guard, but he is a score-first guard.
Russell has played six games for the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2020-21 NBA season, and he is averaging 16.8 points. He has made 43% of his field goals and 40% of his 3-pointers.
Russell scored 18 points and dished out seven assists against the Denver Nuggets in their recent match.
Small Forward - Malik Beasley (Minnesota Timberwolves)
Malik Beasley played the best basketball of his career in 14 games for the Minnesota Timberwolves last year. He averaged 20.7 points and five rebounds per game and made 47% of his field goals and 43% of his 3-pointers for Minnesota in 14 matches.
That performance earned him a four-year, $60 million deal from the Minnesota Timberwolves, and he is backing it up with solid play in the 2020-21 NBA season.
Beasley is averaging 19 points and 4.8 rebounds in 30 minutes per game for Minnesota. Additionally, he has made 48% of his field goals, 34% of his 3-pointers, and 89% of his free throws.
In Minnesota's recent loss to Denver, Beasley scored 25 points and added seven rebounds and five assists to his stat sheet.
Power Forward - Paul Millsap (Denver Nuggets)
Paul Millsap's place in this combined starting five is a testament to the leader he is for the Denver Nuggets and his efficient play.
Even though he is playing behind Murray and Nikola Jokic, Millsap is taking advantage of his chances. The 35-year-old veteran is averaging 12.5 points and four rebounds per game and has made 59% of his field goals and 52% of his attempts from beyond the arc (3.5 attempts per game).
His Offensive Rating of 125 is third among the Denver Nuggets' starters.
Center - Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets)
Arguably the best center in today's NBA, Nikola Jokic has certainly started the 2020-21 NBA season firing on all cylinders on offense.
While he has been scoring with efficiency, his passing has been a unique aspect of his game so far. Jokic is known for being one of the best passing big men in the NBA, but recording at least 10 assists in each of the six games he has played is an incredible feat.
Since he is also a solid rebounder, Jokic is averaging a Triple-Double. He is leading the league in Triple-Doubles with four, in assists per game with 12.8, and in total assists with 77.
Jokic is averaging 22 points, 11 rebounds, and 12 assists per game. Moreover, his shooting splits are 62/44/82. Quite simply, he has been unreal.
In his last game, against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Jokic had 19 points, 12 rebounds, and 12 assists in 31 minutes.
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