Utah Jazz - Los Angeles Lakers

The Nuggets won the series with a score of 4-1 against the Peru team, but a lot has changed in the 4th game where the injuries of DiVincenzo and Edwards overshadowed the Wolves team. DiVincenzo's season is over, Edwards has a broken bone and will be out for at least 2 weeks, eliminating him from this series. The Nuggets were able to win this series, despite both Murray and Jokic not playing to their full potential. But they also took advantage of the injuries on the Wolves team. The difference is evident as Game 5 starts with a -10 deficit. A little fact, the Nuggets are the only team since 2016 to come back from a 1-3 deficit (twice) in the 2020 first round against the Jazz and the 2020 Western Conference semifinals against the Clippers.

Losing two starting five players, the Timberwolves should struggle to resist the Nuggets on the road. In my opinion, the odds will heavily favor the opponents as the Nuggets are known for their physicality, but I believe it will be a different story this time.

If I calculated correctly, in the first series Ayo threw 6, 5, 7, and 9 in the first period. Now, with both AntMan and DiVi probably out, Ayo's value in the team is very high. He should be the leader among the defenders, so if he had an average of 6.75 points in the first periods under worse conditions, then a 5.5 point offer would be a very good value for scoring.