NBA Northwest Division Odds: Timberwolves Looking to Hold Off Thunder, Nuggets

The NBA is gearing up for an intriguing finish to the regular season following the All-Star break. The one division in the Association that has been an ultra-competitive race since the 2023-2024 campaign tipped off is the Northwest Division.

The three teams who have all been vying for the top spot in the Northwest Division are the Minnesota Timberwolves, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Denver Nuggets. Of the divisions in basketball, the Northwest Division is the only one to feature three teams with 36-plus wins at this point of the season.

Considering that it could come down to the final days of the season to decide a winner, let's take a look at the Northwest Division odds on FanDuel Sportsbook.

NBA Northwest Division Odds

These are the three teams who have available odds to win the Northwest Division, followed by a breakdown for each team.

Minnesota Timberwolves (-125)

The No. 1 seed in the Western Conference -- at least at the moment -- is the Timberwolves with a 39-16 record through their first 55 contests. Despite deploying the likes of Anthony Edwards (26.3 PPG) and Karl-Anthony Towns (22.5 PPG), Minnesota is a team that is predicated on playing lockdown defense.

The Timberwolves lead the league in defensive rating (108.2) while having the 17th-best offensive rating (115.2). Entering the All-Star break, Minnesota was on a four-game winning streak, defeating teams like the Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Clippers on the road in the process.

What makes the Timberwolves a dangerous squad is the fact they are registering the seventh-best true shooting percentage (60.1%) and the sixth-best rebound rate (51.6%) in the NBA. On top of that, Minnesota is 8-2 against divisional opponents and 27-8 against teams in the Western Conference.

While the T-Wolves beat the Nuggets in their only meeting thus far, both teams will still face each other three more times the rest of the way, which will be a good litmus test for Minnesota. With 17 of their last 27 games taking place at the Target Center, the Timberwolves are in a decent spot to win their first division title since the 2003-2004 season.

Oklahoma City Thunder (+190)

Besides the Timberwolves, the Thunder are another team that has exceeded expectations. On a young roster that is littered with talent, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the veteran in the starting lineup at 25 years old in his sixth season in the NBA.

Gilgeous-Alexander has the second-shortest odds (+210) to win MVP in the NBA Awards odds on FanDuel Sportsbook due to him posting career-best marks in assists (6.5) and steals (2.2) per game while shooting a career-high 54.6% from the field. Thanks to the All-Star guard's dominance on both ends of the court -- along with the contributions of the other young starters -- the Thunder have the fourth-best offensive rating (119.2) and defensive rating (111.9).

Oklahoma City is tallying the second-lowest turnover rate (12.3%) and it leads the league in true shooting percentage (61.2%). At the All-Star break, the Thunder are the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference with an impressive 37-17 record.

Aside from splitting their four meetings with the Timberwolves, the Thunder have also gone 3-1 against the Nuggets this season. The last time Oklahoma City won the Northwest Division was in 2015-2016 when Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook were still a dynamic duo for the Thunder.

Denver Nuggets (+380)

The reigning champions are in third place in the Northwest Division despite boasting a 36-19 record coming out of the All-Star break. The Nuggets have arguably the best player in basketball -- Nikola Jokic -- who could be on his way to winning his third MVP award in the last four seasons.

Jokic is nearly averaging a triple-double with 26.1 points, 12.0 rebounds, and 8.9 assists per game while shooting an efficient 57.7% from the field. Aside from Jokic, Denver has a well-rounded roster that also consists of Jamal Murray (20.5 PPG), Michael Porter Jr., and Aaron Gordon (13.8 PPG).

Even though the Nuggets have the 13th-best offensive rating (117.1) and the 11th-best defensive rating, they also have the second-best assist-to-turnover ratio (2.27) in the Association. While Denver lost three of its four meetings against Oklahoma City, it still has three more crucial matchups versus Minnesota down the stretch.

The Nuggets have finished in either first or second place in the Northwest Division in each of the previous five seasons. Seeing that the Nuggets are nearly at full strength coming out of All-Star weekend, there is decent value in taking them to make a late-season push for the Northwest Division crown.

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