The Denver Nuggets take on the Minnesota Timberwolves in a game with huge implications for the Western Conference standings.
Here’s a look at the injury report.
Denver:
Vlatko Čančar — OUT (left knee surgery)
Zeke Nnaji — QUESTIONABLE (Low back pain)
Minnesota and Denver enter Tuesday’s game deadlocked in the Western Conference standings; both teams are just a half-game behind the No. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder. However, the Wolves hold the tiebreaker against the Nuggets after beating them handily, 110-89, in Denver’s fifth game of the season.
Minnesota suffered a serious injury when All-Star big man Karl-Anthony Towns tore his meniscus in early March. The Wolves have fared well without their star, going 4-2 since then. They have the #1 defense in the league, holding opponents to a ridiculous 108.7 points per 100 possessions. This is the best defensive rating in two full seasons in the NBA. Minnesota is one of only three teams to hold the Nuggets under 90 points in a game this season.
Minnesota and Denver meet three more times in the final 14 games, including Tuesday’s game. There’s a good chance these matchups will decide things in an incredibly tight standings.
Denver has been on a tear since the All-Star break with an 11-2 record. This is tied with the Boston Celtics for the best record over this period. Their two losses were also close: one came in overtime against the Phoenix Suns and the other came at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks on a last-second shot.
Denver is 47-21 this year. The franchise record for most wins in a season is 57. They will need to go 11-3 down the stretch to make history.
TO AGREE: Tuesday 7:00 p.m. MT, NBA TV and Altitude TV, and Altitude Sports Radio 92.5 FM
