Two-time MVP Nikola Jokic and the No. 1 seed Denver Nuggets will start the first round of the 2023 NBA playoffs against the No. 8 seed Minnesota Timberwolves. Game 1 is set to tip-off on Monday at 12:30 p.m. AEST from Ball Arena. The Nuggets and T'Wolves split the four-game season series, with each team protecting their home court. Minnesota will look to carry that momentum from their win on Saturday in the play-in tournament against the Thunder into this opening-round matchup.
The Timberwolves are a solid team, as they have Rudy Gobert, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Anthony Edwards, who can all make some noise in the postseason. However, Minnesota has played below their expectations sometimes this season, which was one of the reasons why they landed back in the play-in tourney for the second-straight year.
Meanwhile, the Nuggets were one of the best teams in the league this season and are led by Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and Michael Porter Jr. Many fans and analysts believe that this could be the year the Nuggets make it to the NBA Finals, especially in an up-and-down Western Conference.
Below, we'll down the series odds for this matchup while giving out our prediction on how many games Timberwolves-Nuggets will go and series prop that bettors should consider checking out.
Timberwolves vs. Nuggets series odds, picks, predictions
| Team | Odds |
| Timberwolves | $4.50 |
| Nuggets | $1.20 |
The Nuggets aren't overwhelming favorites to win in the first-round matchup like the Bucks are ($1.05) against the Heat. Denver finished the regular season going 5-5 in their past 10 games, but it doesn't take away from what they accomplished during the year by being the No.1 seed.
This is the first time under head coach Mike Malone that the Nuggets have been the No. 1 seed. The highest seed Denver has been under Malone was No. 2 in 2018-19. Since the '18-'19 season, Denver has made it out of the first round three out of the past four years. However, the Nuggets haven't had a ton of success in Game 1s, going 1-3.
As for the Wolves, they struggled in their only playoff appearance under head coach Chris Flinch, losing in six games to the Grizzles in the first round last season. Minnesota stole home-court advantage, winning Game 1, but lost four out of the next five games. We could see a similar situation play out this postseason, but Denver had a 34-7 record at home during the regular season, which is nothing to sneeze at.
Betting advice: Bettors should pass on taking the Nuggets to win the series at $1.20 and instead look at the other series props, such as the correct series result, series correct score after three games, and when will the series end for plus money.
NBA Playoffs 2023 odds: Correct series result for Timberwolves-Nuggets
| Series result | Odds |
| Minnesota Timberwolves (4-0) | $41 |
| Minnesota Timberwolves (4-1) | $21 |
| Minnesota Timberwolves (4-2) | $9.00 |
| Minnesota Timberwolves (4-3) | $15 |
| Denver Nuggets (4-3) | $4.25 |
| Denver Nuggets (4-2) | $5.00 |
| Denver Nuggets (4-1) | $3.25 |
| Denver Nuggets (4-0) | $6.00 |
With the Nuggets' struggling in Game 1s in the first round, bettors should target Denver to win the series in five games (4-1) at $3.25. The Nuggets have the best player in this series in Jokic, who is a walking triple-double and will be a handful on both ends of the floor. Denver is also a great three-point shooting team (37.9 percent during the regular season), which will play a part in this first-round matchup.
The Timberwolves held the Thunder to 32.5 percent shooting from beyond the arc on Saturday but allowed opponents to shoot 36.9 percent during the season (24th in the league). If the Nuggets can exploit the T'Wolves' three-point defense in this best-of-seven series, it will help them close out this series quickly.
Betting advice: Bettors should take the Nuggets to win the series in five games ($3.25) and also put down a half unit on the game/series double series prop of the Timberwolves to win Game 1 and the Nuggets to win the series ($5.00).
