The toughest challenger to the Nuggets might come in the second round. That's where they will face the No. 3-seeded Timberwolves after Minnesota readily dispatched the Suns in a four-game sweep.
The Nuggets are going into this series as favorites. They've earned the benefit of the doubt due to having the best player in the league on their side, along with championship experience. But the Timberwolves have played them extremely well, starting with last year's first-round series which the Nuggets took down in five games.
"Honestly, I would say our toughest series was [against] Minnesota," former Nuggets guard Bruce Brown Jr. said on Run Your Race podcast last summer. "Ant and them. It was just something about them."
The same has held true this year, where the teams split their season series 2-2. The unique height of Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns is about as good of a duo as you can hope for in slowing down Denver's offense. And Anthony Edwards looks like the star of the playoffs.
This is one of the most interesting series that we're going to get in these playoffs. Here's how it might shake out.
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Nuggets vs. Timberwolves prediction
This Nuggets team isn't quite as good as last year's group. They're missing the strong bench play of Brown. Reggie Jackson and Jamal Murray are also nursing minor injuries.
A calf injury for Murray slowed him down in the first round against the Lakers. He did have two brilliant game-winners to give the Nuggets wins in Game 2 and 4. But aside from his 32 points in the closeout game, he had not been dominating the playoffs as he did previously.
Despite those small warts for Denver, these guys are still the best team in the West. Nikola Jokic is the ultimate weapon late in games. He never gets rattled, and he's such an unstoppable scorer one-on-one that the Nuggets are always going to get a good look in crunch time.
MORE: Why Nikola Jokic could lead the NBA in scoring if he wanted to
The Wolves aren't chopped liver, though. Edwards has lifted his game and arrived as one of the truly elite playoff performers 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 a joy and swagger that is infectious.
Is that enough to get past 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 shakier in the clutch than Denver.
The Nuggets were never pushed to a seven-game series during last year's championship run. Getting them to seven would be an accomplishment, which seems likely given how good both of these teams are. In that pivotal game, Denver's home-court advantage should be enough to get it through.
Prediction: Nuggets in seven games
Nuggets vs. Timberwolves betting odds
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.
- Nov. 1, 2023: Timberwolves 110, Nuggets 89
- March 19, 2024: Nuggets 115, Timberwolves 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 a game each.
Nuggets vs. Timberwolves key storyline: Can Minnesota's top defense slow down Nikola Jokic?
Minnesota had the best regular season defense by a mile. It also did a nice job against Phoenix's dangerous offense thanks to its trio of elite perimeter defenders.
The player that gets the most praise for the Timberwolves' defense is soon-to-be four-time Defensive Player of the Year Gobert, 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 late because of his ability to shut down players one-on-one.
MORE: Why Nickeil Alexander-Walker is the Timberwolves' X-Factor
That terrific guard defense will be vital in defending against Denver's two-man game between Murray and Jokic, which is the deadliest action in the league. Alexander-Walker in particular is fantastic at getting around the handoffs and pick-and-rolls that those two like to run.
In addition to great personnel, Chris Finch has the Wolves coached extremely well. Their defense has been on a string in these playoffs.
Look at the defense from the Minnesota Timberwolves. 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 due to the help that Jokic attracts. The Timberwolves will have to bring a second defender into plays, but they have a way to limit his damage by putting Towns, Naz Reid, or Kyle Anderson on Joker and letting Gobert play a helper role while matched up on 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 been successful in at least making his shots tougher and limiting his killer passing.
That might give them a chance to steal this series if they can get enough offense from Edwards and Towns.
MORE: Timberwolves coach Chris Finch sustains knee injury in Game 4
Nuggets vs. Timberwolves schedule
| Date | Game | Time (ET) | TV channel |
| 5/4 | Game 1 at Nuggets | TBD | TNT |
| 5/6 | Game 2 at Nuggets | TBD | TBD |
| 5/10 | Game 3 at Timberwolves | TBD | TBD |
| 5/12 | Game 4 at Timberwolves | TBD | TBD |
| 5/14 | Game 5 at Nuggets* | TBD | TBD |
| 5/16 | Game 6 at Timberwolves* | TBD | TBD |
| 5/19 | Game 7 at Nuggets* | TBD | TBD |
*If necessary
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