Timberwolves open at Nuggets
- The Timberwolves begin their first‑round series on the road against the Nuggets, with Game 1 details posted. - Minnesota's official preview lists start time, injury report, and viewing information for that matchup. - The matchup is already being framed as an early West pressure test with immediate adjustments likely (nba.com).
Minnesota opened its first-round series Saturday in Denver, where the Nuggets beat the Timberwolves 116-105 in Game 1 at Ball Arena. (espn.com) The Timberwolves entered as the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference and drew the No. 3 seed Nuggets in a best-of-seven matchup that began April 18. Minnesota’s team site listed Game 1 for 2:30 p.m. Central on Amazon Prime. (nba.com) Denver took the opener behind Jamal Murray’s 30 points and Nikola Jokic’s triple-double, with ESPN’s recap calling it a physical start to the series. The Nuggets outscored Minnesota 39-29 in the second quarter and 29-17 in the third. (espn.com) This is Minnesota’s fifth straight playoff trip, the franchise’s longest postseason run since an eight-season stretch from 1996-97 through 2003-04. Denver finished the regular season 54-28; Minnesota finished 49-33. (nba.com) (espn.com) The schedule leaves little time to reset. NBA.com lists Game 2 for Monday, April 20, in Denver before the series shifts to Minneapolis for Games 3 and 4 on April 23 and April 25. (nba.com) Minnesota’s official schedule lists Game 2 at 9:30 p.m. Central on NBC and Peacock, with local radio on KTLK-AM 1130 and FM 103.5. The league’s playoff schedule page lists that game at 10:30 p.m. Eastern. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2) The league’s public injury report system showed Minnesota and Denver as not yet submitted on the first-round report posted before Game 1, underscoring how late statuses can move during the postseason. The Timberwolves also maintain a daily injury-report page on their team site. (ak-static.cms.nba.com) (nba.com) For Minnesota, the series now turns on a quick road response. After one Denver win, the Timberwolves head into Monday night trying to avoid a 2-0 hole before the matchup moves to Target Center. (espn.com) (nba.com)
