This will be the best series of the second round.
Denver is the class of the West and the defending NBA champions, led by the best player on the planet, Nikola Jokic. Although Minnesota lacks Hutt's experience, they are the only team left in the postseason that can match their size up front. This is promised to be a physical series.
A year ago, these two teams met in the first round, and while Denver won in five games, Minnesota started to figure things out by the end and the Nuggets later faced what might have been their toughest playoff series yet. he said. This season, both teams split the series with two wins and two losses.
The second round will be a fierce battle. Here's a breakdown of the series with three things to watch, and a prediction at the end.
When does Timberwolves vs. Nuggets start?
Game 1 between the Timberwolves and Nuggets will take place on Saturday, May 4th at 7:00 pm ET in Denver and the game will be broadcast on TNT.
2024 Minnesota vs. Denver Playoff Schedule
All times are Eastern Time (* = where required).
Game 1: Timberwolves vs. Nuggets, May 4th (7th ET, TNT)
Game 2: Timberwolves vs. Nuggets, May 6th (10th ET, TNT)
Game 3: Nuggets vs. Timberwolves, May 10 (9:30 a.m. ET, ESPN)
Game 4: Nuggets vs. Timberwolves, May 12th (8th ET, TNT)
Game 5: Timberwolves vs. Nuggets, May 14 (TBC, TNT)*
Game 6: Nuggets vs. Timberwolves, May 16 (8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)*
Game 7: Timberwolves vs. Nuggets, May 19 (TBA, TBA)*
3 things to watch about Minnesota vs. Denver
1) Can the Timberwolves execute under pressure?
There are fascinating chess matches in his series. Would the Timberwolves put Karl-Anthony Towns in place of Jokic and Rudy Gobert in place of Aaron Gordon in a good help position? Jaden McDaniels talks about Jamal Murray? On the other side of the court, how do the Timberwolves try to drag Jokic into high pick-and-rolls and wear him down? All of this is just the tip of the iceberg.
It's not those matchup challenges that make Denver elite, it's their otherworldly execution. The same great players continue to play in the same system for years, allowing them to almost intuitively understand where other players are on the court and when to cut or jump out. Jokic's passes are always on point. His ability to make adjustments on the fly, almost without words, is what makes the Nuggets so difficult to defend.
Can Minnesota execute at anything close to that level? The problem isn't talent — the Timberwolves have talent — but this team struggled in the clutch all season. Minnesota had a -13.1 net rating in clutch minutes (the last five minutes of a game within five points), while Denver led the league with a +24.5 net rating.
That could be the difference in the series, but can the Timberwolves play at a level they shouldn't lose in the final minutes?
2) Can Karl-Anthony Towns and co. provide enough secondary scoring?
Anthony Edwards is going to get it. These playoff breakout superstars will be tested guarded by Aaron Gordon and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, but he's already in superstar territory and will get buckets. We can expect that.
Will he have enough support? Specifically, will Towns step up as the second scorer this team needs in this series, knocking down outside shots and spacing the floor to open up driving lanes? McDaniels had a game where he scored 25 points in the last series, but can he have another good game or two? Can Gobert get buckets in the paint? Mike Conley and Gobert have strong pick-and-roll chemistry that can lead to buckets.
Minnesota's defense is great, but Denver will score too. Jokic is too good, and the pick-and-roll between Jokic and Murray is as good a two-man game as there is in the league. To have a chance in this series, the Timberwolves will need to consistently get buckets, and someone other than Edwards will need to carry some of that load.
3) Can the Timberwolves dominate time outside of Jokic?
This item could have been, “Are Jamal Murray's calves healthy?” If the answer is no, that would be the biggest story in this series, but he played in Game 5 against the Lakers with a calf issue and then just took five days off, so he's fine. I'm going to assume that.
Now we'll talk about time other than Jokic. There aren't that many players who can make the playoffs, but the Timberwolves need to dominate them. That wasn't the case for the Lakers, who were only +8 in minutes outside of Jokic through five games, but that wasn't a big enough difference.
To win this series, Minnesota needs to dominate Jokic's time.
It will also help coach Chris Finch who is on the sideline with an injury and it will be good to see him.
Prediction: Nuggets in 7 minutes.
This is coming soon. While Denver doesn't have the depth it had a season ago (they're missing Bruce Brown), Minnesota is growing more confident, especially with each game. However, I believe the Nuggets will perform better in close games. This series will be played for 6-7 games, but the defending champion will advance.
