2026 NBA Playoffs - West First Round - #3 Denver Nuggets vs #6 Minnesota Timberwolves (Series tied 1-1)

Post #1 » by **bisme37** » Mon Apr 13, 2026 2:58 am

Game 1: Nuggets win 116-105
Game 2: Wolves win 119-114
Game 3: Thursday April 23, 9:30pm ET on Prime

Patches Perry · Post #2 » by **Patches Perry** » Mon Apr 13, 2026 3:02 am

Not bisme having these threads in the chamber right as the buzzer sounds. GB MVP.

dlts20 · Post #3 » by **dlts20** » Mon Apr 13, 2026 3:06 am

The best match up in the first round. It should be special

Cubbies2120 · Post #4 » by **Cubbies2120** » Mon Apr 13, 2026 3:09 am

Nuggets in 5.

Max.

Mk0 · Post #5 » by **Mk0** » Mon Apr 13, 2026 3:18 am

This has been such a weird season for Minny. They are like super locked in one night and then just zombies the next. I hated it, just no consistency. I have no idea what they are going to look like in the playoffs.

I can see Antman pulling a hard carry for a game or two, but idk what to expect from that team. I just want Ayo to ball out and get paid.

Nuggets in 6.

TravisScott55 · Post #6 » by **TravisScott55** » Mon Apr 13, 2026 3:20 am

Nuggets in 7.

Damn OKC gonna cruise to the conference finals

Patches Perry · Post #7 » by **Patches Perry** » Mon Apr 13, 2026 3:27 am

I was looking at these rosters to see what's changed from 2024 to 2026 when Minnesota beat Denver in 7 in what was considered a mild upset at the time.

Denver big differences:
Cameron Johnson replacing MPJ
Peyton Watson replacing KCP
+Bruce Brown

Minnesota big differences:
Randle replacing KAT
Donte replacing NAW
+ Ayo

Obviously some internal growth on both teams. Denver is the hottest team in basketball so it will be interesting to see if Minnesota can raise their level of play from what was an underwhelming regular season.

I'm picking a safe and boring Denver in 6.

Chuck Everett · Post #8 » by **Chuck Everett** » Mon Apr 13, 2026 3:32 am

Nuggets in 6. And if that is how it turns out, it serves Minnesota right for choking away two games to the Suns, two to the Grizz, one to the Kings and one to the Jazz. Those six games should have been 4-2 record at worse, which would have made them 53-29 and playing the Lakers in Round 1. Team plays down to its competition way too much.

I expect them to give the Nuggets a series and possibly stretching them to 7, but their approach to the season was trash.

Johnny Tomala · Post #9 » by **Johnny Tomala** » Mon Apr 13, 2026 3:37 am

Nuggets in 6.

Mk0 · Post #10 » by **Mk0** » Mon Apr 13, 2026 3:39 am

TravisScott55 wrote:Nuggets in 7.

Damn OKC gonna cruise to the conference finals

Not to derail the topic but it is crazy how lopsided the matchups are. We all knew it was going to shakeout that way but it is funny to see how different of a path you get with 2 more wins.

Denver is firing on all cylinders so you'd expect them to punish Minny for being so inconsistent but I still see Ant being able to go full superhero for 2 wins.

Post #11 » by **Clav** » Mon Apr 13, 2026 3:42 am

Wolves in 7

Very close historical, 9 to 8 wins in favor of wolves, 2-1 series lead for wolves, the last series they both played against each other went 7 games for Minnesota to win.

TroubleS0me · Post #12 » by **TroubleS0me** » Mon Apr 13, 2026 3:52 am

This will be interesting
the Nuggets have been struggling Vs the Wolves since 2024

1993Playoffs · Post #13 » by **1993Playoffs** » Mon Apr 13, 2026 3:55 am

Nobody expected the wolves to beat them a few years ago. I think they win in 7 again

Post #14 » by **Mavrelous** » Mon Apr 13, 2026 3:57 am

Nuggs in 5, basketball gods are generous to the rightous.

guynumber45 · Post #15 » by **guynumber45** » Mon Apr 13, 2026 3:59 am

Nuggets in 6. Since the last time these two teams faced in the playoffs, the Nuggets have gotten significantly better while the Wolves have taken a step back. Having no NAW or KAT for this matchup is significant since those 2 caused a lot of problems for Denver.

Manimal · Post #16 » by **Manimal** » Mon Apr 13, 2026 4:00 am

Patches Perry wrote:I was looking at these rosters to see what's changed from 2024 to 2026 when Minnesota beat Denver in 7 in what was considered a mild upset at the time.

Denver big differences:
Cameron Johnson replacing MPJ
Peyton Watson replacing KCP
+Bruce Brown

Minnesota big differences:
Randle replacing KAT
Donte replacing NAW
+ Ayo

Obviously some internal growth on both teams. Denver is the hottest team in basketball so it will be interesting to see if Minnesota can raise their level of play from what was an underwhelming regular season.

I'm picking a safe and boring Denver in 6.

THJ is also a major addition, for this series specifically. In 2024 the Nuggets had absolutely no shooting on the roster, outside of Murray and MPJ. And those guys shot terribly, at just 33% from three for both. This version is much deeper in talent, and also has more shooters (AG is also vastly improved since then). The Wolves don't seem to be quite as good defensively this year as that 24 team was either, as NAW was able to do a lot to disrupt Jamal.

I think Minnesota still matches up pretty well with Denver, but they definitely don't have their number in quite the same way as they had before.

NyKnicks1714 · Post #17 » by **NyKnicks1714** » Mon Apr 13, 2026 4:05 am

Only chance for a good 1st round series in the West. I think it could deliver, Denver in 7.

Klomp · Post #18 » by **Klomp** » Mon Apr 13, 2026 4:11 am

I think what gives me maybe a little more confidence than others have is the history that these two franchises have. I don't think I need to explain this much, it should be pretty obvious. Both teams have changed, but there is still a lot that hasn't.

Who is shutting down Ant in a 7-game series?

Sharkboy242 · Post #19 » by **Sharkboy242** » Mon Apr 13, 2026 4:28 am

If Ant isn’t 100 then this can easily go Denver’s way. He’s been sitting games out so for him to come back full throttle in the playoffs - thats tough

GeorgeSears · Post #20 » by **GeorgeSears** » Mon Apr 13, 2026 4:36 am

Nuggets in 6.

There's something off about this Wolves team. People talk about their injuries, but the reality is that they've been a healthy team aside from Ant. The consistency just isn't there on offense. Too reliant on Ant. They have no PG. They probably will enter with confidence knowing they've beaten the Nuggets before. I don't think it matters to a healthy Nuggets team.

Who wins?