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Denver hosts Minnesota in Christmas day action

Minnesota Timberwolves (20-10, fifth in the Western Conference) vs. Denver Nuggets (21-8, third in the Western Conference)

Denver; Thursday, 10:30 p.m. EST

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Nuggets -4.5; over/under is 237.5

BOTTOM LINE: The Denver Nuggets play the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Nuggets are 3-1 against division opponents. Denver is third in the league with 29.8 assists per game. Nikola Jokic leads the Nuggets averaging 10.9.

The Timberwolves are 4-3 against the rest of the division. Minnesota has a 6-7 record against teams over .500.

The Nuggets make 51.5% of their shots from the field this season, which is 6.0 percentage points higher than the Timberwolves have allowed to their opponents (45.5%). The Timberwolves are shooting 47.6% from the field, 0.6% higher than the 47.0% the Nuggets’ opponents have shot this season.

The teams square off for the third time this season. The Nuggets won the last matchup 123-112 on Nov. 16, with Jokic scoring 27 points in the victory.

TOP PERFORMERS: Jamal Murray is shooting 49.9% and averaging 25.1 points for the Nuggets. Jokic is averaging 29.0 points over the last 10 games.

Rudy Gobert is shooting 73.1% and averaging 11.5 points for the Timberwolves. Anthony Edwards is averaging 4.0 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Nuggets: 7-3, averaging 126.1 points, 41.0 rebounds, 30.4 assists, 7.9 steals and 3.6 blocks per game while shooting 52.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 119.3 points per game.

Timberwolves: 8-2, averaging 117.2 points, 46.0 rebounds, 26.2 assists, 8.4 steals and 5.5 blocks per game while shooting 45.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 112.2 points.

INJURIES: Nuggets: Cameron Johnson: day to day (knee), Christian Braun: out (ankle), Aaron Gordon: out (hamstring).

Timberwolves: Joe Ingles: day to day (personal), Jaden McDaniels: day to day (oblique).

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

NYPD says dozens rescued from human trafficking during World Cup

▶ Watch Video: Inside look at security preparations for World Cup Forty-three people, including seven minors, were rescued from human traffickers during the World Cup matches in the New York City area, according to the New York City Police Department's Special Victims Unit.The rescue operations were carried out between June 11 and July 19 by specialized NYPD detectives who arrested 89 individuals."The surprise was really the outpouring of support behind the mission and the collaboration with all our partners," said Inspector Gary Marcus, commanding officer of the Special Victims Unit.Those rescued, largely the victims of sex trafficking, are now being supported with an array of social services for the victims, including food, housing and counseling.The 87 operations carried out during the World Cup have generated new leads, officials said, and law enforcement agencies are building more cases based on the investigations already underway."We have ongoing investigations now as a result of these operations," an NYPD official told CBS News.Major sporting events are known to law enforcement as hotbeds of human trafficking.Years in advance, the NYPD devoted significant resources to preparing for the World Cup. Eight matches were played at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium, including the final on Sunday."When we talk about the outreach and the prep we do, a large part of that involved visiting the known sex offenders, particularly the known human traffickers, in our registry," Marcus said. "Whether they're on parole or probation for human trafficking, we visited them to make sure they're compliant with the terms of their release, and secondly, to let them know that the NYPD is watching."The matches were held in multiple cities around the U.S., Mexico and Canada. Preparations to secure those games and prepare for crimes like human trafficking were coordinated between local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.Police departments in many locations that hosted World Cup matches have made arrests and rescues connected to human trafficking, including in Georgia, New England and Missouri. Nationally, there were more than 673 arrests on human-trafficking charges made during the World Cup, and 61 adults and 13 minors rescued, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
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