The most difficult opponent for the Nuggets could come in the second round. That’s where they’ll face the No. 3-seeded Timberwolves after Minnesota easily dispatched the Suns in a four-game sweep.
The Nuggets come into this series as favorites. They have earned the benefit of the doubt by having the best player in the league on their side, as well as championship experience. But the Timberwolves have played them extremely well, starting with last year’s first-round series that the Nuggets won in five games.
“Honestly, I would say our hardest series was [against] Minnesota,” former Nuggets guard Bruce Brown Jr. said. he said on the Run Your Race podcast last summer. “Ant and them. It was just something about them.”
The same has happened this year, where the teams split their season series 2-2. The unique height of Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns is the best duo you can hope for to slow down Denver’s offense. And Anthony Edwards looks like the star of the playoffs.
This is one of the most interesting series we will see in these playoffs. This is how it could shake.
Nuggets vs Timberwolves Prediction
This Nuggets team is not as good as last year’s group. They lack Brown’s strong bench game. Reggie Jackson and Jamal Murray also suffer minor injuries.
A calf injury to Murray slowed him down in the first round against the Lakers. He had two brilliant winners to give the Nuggets victories in Game 2 and 4. But aside from his 32 points in the final game, he hadn’t been dominating the playoffs like he previously did.
Despite those minor flaws for Denver, these guys are still the best team in the West. Nikola Jokic is the ultimate weapon at the end of games. He never gets nervous and is such an unstoppable one-on-one scorer that the Nuggets will always be able to see him in the clutch.
But the Wolves are not chopped liver. Edwards has improved his game and came in as one of the truly elite players in the playoffs after averaging 31.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 6.3 assists in the first round. His athleticism is something to behold and he plays with an infectious joy and swagger.
Is that enough to overcome this Nuggets team? Despite leading all teams in scoring during the first round, there are still very real concerns about Minnesota’s offense. And it has been much more unsettled than Denver.
The Nuggets were never pushed to a seven-game series during last year’s championship. Taking them to seven would be an achievement, which seems likely given how good both teams are. In that crucial game, Denver’s home-field advantage should be enough to make it through.
Prediction: Nuggets in seven games
Betting odds between Nuggets and Timberwolves
The Nuggets (-225) open the second-round series as favorites over the Timberwolves (+180), according to NBA odds courtesy of BetMGM.
Nuggets vs. Timberwolves regular season series
The Nuggets and Timberwolves met four times during the 2023-24 regular season. They split the series 2-2.
- November 1, 2023: Timber Wolves 110, Nuggets 89
- March 19, 2024: Nuggets 115, Timber Wolves 112
- March 29, 2024: Wolves 111, Nuggets 98
- April 10, 2024: Nuggets 116, Wolves 107
Towns only played in that first meeting between the two teams. Gobert and Murray also missed one game each.
Nuggets vs. Key Story Timberwolves: Can Minnesota’s best defense stop Nikola Jokic?
Minnesota had the best defense of the regular season by a mile. He also did a good job against Phoenix’s dangerous offense thanks to his trio of elite perimeter defenders.
The player receiving the most praise for the Timberwolves’ defense is Gobert, the four-time Defensive Player of the Year, but don’t sleep on the team’s guards. Jaden McDaniels should get votes for an all-defensive team. Nickeil Alexander-Walker is the most underrated defender in the league. And Edwards always wants the toughest matchup last because of his ability to stop players one-on-one.
That excellent guard defense will be vital in fending off Denver’s two-man game between Murray and Jokic, which is the deadliest play in the league. Alexander-Walker in particular is fantastic at navigating the handoffs and pick-and-rolls that those two like to execute.
In addition to a great staff, Chris Finch has the Wolves extremely well coached. His defense has been on the tightrope in these playoffs.
Look at the Minnesota Timberwolves defense. pic.twitter.com/eR1NE6AItx
— Steve Jones Jr. (@stevejones20) April 29, 2024
The Nuggets kill other teams when they make mistakes with their rotations, which happens frequently because of the help Jokic attracts. The Timberwolves will have to add a second defenseman to the plays, but they have a way to limit their damage by putting Towns, Naz Reid or Kyle Anderson on Joker and letting Gobert play a help role while facing Aaron Gordon.
Jokic can still get his. He averaged 33.3 points, 11.8 rebounds and 4.3 assists during the regular season against Minnesota. The Timberwolves have managed to at least make their shots harder and limit their killer passes.
That could give them a chance to steal this series if they can get enough offense from Edwards and Towns.
Nuggets vs. Timberwolves schedule
| Date | Game | Time (ET) | television channel |
| 5/4 | Game 1 at the Nuggets | Determined | TNT |
| 5/6 | Game 2 at the Nuggets | Determined | Determined |
| 5/10 | Game 3 at Timberwolves | Determined | Determined |
| 5/12 | Game 4 at Timberwolves | Determined | Determined |
| 5/14 | Game 5 in Nuggets* | Determined | Determined |
| 5/16 | Game 6 at Timberwolves* | Determined | Determined |
| 5/19 | Game 7 in Nuggets* | Determined | Determined |
*If necessary
