Denver and Minnesota meet in conference showdown

Minnesota Timberwolves (32-35, 10th in the Western Conference) vs. Denver Nuggets (43-22, second in the Western Conference)

Denver; Tuesday, 10:30 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: Western Conference foes Denver and Minnesota will play at the Pepsi Center.

The Nuggets are 8-2 against opponents in the Northwest Division. Denver is second in the league with 27.6 assists per game, led by Nikola Jokic averaging 7.6.

The Timberwolves are 9-25 in road games. Minnesota ranks third in the league with 11.7 offensive rebounds per game, led by Karl-Anthony Towns averaging 3.4. The two teams meet for the third time this season.

TOP PERFORMERS: Jokic leads the Nuggets with 10.8 rebounds and averages 20.4 points. Jamal Murray has averaged 16.4 points and 3.4 rebounds while shooting 40.2 percent over the last 10 games for Denver.

Towns leads the Timberwolves with 12.3 rebounds and averages 24.5 points. Taj Gibson has averaged 7.4 rebounds and added 14.1 points per game over the last 10 games for Minnesota.

LAST 10 GAMES: Timberwolves: 5-5, averaging 119.7 points, 46.7 rebounds, 24.4 assists, 7.7 steals and 5.4 blocks per game while shooting 48.0 percent from the field. Their opponents have averaged 121 points on 46.4 percent shooting.

Nuggets: 6-4, averaging 112 points, 50.6 rebounds, 27.4 assists, 8.4 steals and four blocks per game while shooting 43.7 percent from the field. Their opponents have averaged 107.3 points on 44.9 percent shooting.

Nuggets Injuries: Michael Porter Jr.: out (back), Trey Lyles: out (left hamstring strain).

Timberwolves Injuries: Robert Covington: out (ankle), Karl-Anthony Towns: day to day (right knee), Andrew Wiggins: day to day (left quad contusion), Luol Deng: out (sore left achilles).