2026 NBA Playoffs - West First Round - #3 Denver Nuggets vs #6 Minnesota Timberwolves (MIN WINS 4-2)

[bisme37]

Game 1: Nuggets win 116-105
Game 2: Wolves win 119-114
Game 3: Wolves win 113-96
Game 4: Wolves win 112-86
Game 5: Nuggets win 125-113
Game 6: Wolves win 110-98






(continued from here: https://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2506180 )

[bisme37]

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[NyKnicks1714]

Either Minnesota wins in 6 or Denver registers the most unimpressive 1-3 comeback ever.

[Ssj16]

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For the post season, you shouldnt suspend anyone. No punches were thrown.

At most, you give a fine and even techs to start game 5.

[homecourtloss]

Hell of a game by Ayo. But Ant & Donte being out leaves to big of a hole offensively for the Wolves to overcome . Fully expect Denver to win the next 3 games . I’m an OKC fan for the record

If DEN doesn't clean up their defense then it won't matter how bad MIN's offensive firepower is.

I get the narrative is about that side of the ball, but the defense hasnt been nearly as bad as the offense. Denver has scored <100 in b2b games...you cant win in the NBA with those numbers

Jokic by and large has not led impressive playoff offenses relative to other ATG offensive engines even with what many consider an “offensively slanted roster.”

Spoiler:

Obviously Jokic is a great offensive player but his playoff performances have not elevated his teams to ATG offensive levels. Kobe post Shaq has produced comparable or better team playoff performances as has Curry even without the outlier 2017 season (a large technical outlier by the IQR method and outlier by modified z-score method), as has Shaq. The crux of Jokic’s claim to be in these stratospheric peaks is his offense that includes scoring (off ball and on ball), creation via the DHO offense, and offensive rebounding. But that offense hasn't translated to the post season as far as team results which might not be that big of a deal if it weren’t for the fact that others he’s being compared to or being elevated above HAVE had those results. There’s a discussion to be had about on-ball dribble creation, but that’s another discussion perhaps.

Jokic’s last seven playoffs series
-9.4 rORtg vs. 2026 MIN (after 4 games)
-2.2 rORtg vs. 2025 OKC
+9.5 rORtg vs. 2025 LAC
+2.4 rORtg vs. 2024 MIN
+1.3 rORtg vs. 2024 LAL
-1.2 rORtg vs. 2023 MIA (finals)

Highest career rORtg series:
+11.5 vs. 2023 Lakers
+11.4 vs. 2023 Suns.

These two series are very good, BUT when you have players who have had entire playoff runs with a higher rORTgs, well, the offensive peak arguments seem a little iffy.

Here are some players and their four highest rORtg entire playoff runs (playing two+ series) during their respective peak primes



Then, on top of all this, you have some highly underwhelming on-off playoffs numbers underscored by playoff RAPM.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1KiGykvmgXmDv5ibAtobHui-DfjjRhpBueHrJMD8v3vk/edit?usp=drivesdk

[Doranku]

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lmao interviews with involved players? Over what? Nothing happened. What are they investigating?

[bisme37]

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lmao interviews with involved players? Over what? Nothing happened. What are they investigating?

I think it's the guys who left the bench. The NBA has relaxed the rules on that in recent years, but it's still supposed to be a suspension for leaving the bench to involve yourself in a dustup or whatever. Not that I'm rooting for suspensions.

[jack612]

Not really expecting a win from the Wolves here but I'm excited to see how the Denver crowd reacts to McDaniels lol

[SlimShady83]

The Joke no doubt going to have another cry, can't wait to see this game.

[Bergmaniac]

It's pretty wild how the Denver's offense has crumbled in this series. The Wolves defence and especially Rudy and McDaniels obviously has had a lot to do with it but Denver also have been missing shots they usually make at a very good clip. Even when the Wolves had Conley and Bones together on the court in the last game they still couldn't really score efficiently. Murray and Jokic are both shooting poorly and nobody can make a 3,

[TinmanZBoy]

If the league suspended both Jokic and Randle, I think It Will benefit Denver more, that’s how bad Jokic has been playing…

[bisme37]

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[ball_takes23]

It's pretty wild how the Denver's offense has crumbled in this series. The Wolves defence and especially Rudy and McDaniels obviously has had a lot to do with it but Denver also have been missing shots they usually make at a very good clip. Even when the Wolves had Conley and Bones together on the court in the last game they still couldn't really score efficiently. Murray and Jokic are both shooting poorly and nobody can make a 3,

not having Gordon to play in the dunker spot is severely hampering Denver's offense, it used to be if team's overplayed for the Jokic floater he would just lob it over their heads for a Gordon dunk, with that threat gone Minnesota can make that shot much harder for Jokic and Denver has no way to punish them for it

[Fifii]

I bet that Denver won this game , maybe even more than 20 points. The most important game will be game six. If they are come back to Denver it would be very tough without Ant.

[Optms]

How many players on the Wolves need to be out before Denver wins?

Only the Rockets have been more pathetic. Then again Lebron is still LeBron. Imagine getting beat by some guy named AYO.

[Beethoven]

Can minn win a game without two of their best players against denver?

[bfchs123]

NBA should secretly be encouraging these scuffles, at least it shows there is some actual rivalries and competition. For years these guys have all been AAU / all-star / Nike buddies, we've been watching blatant tanking, digital animosity (KD), etc. This was not always the case in basketball, bring back the 80s/90s when guys legitimately didn't like each other

[Patches Perry]

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The league needs to default to heavy fines in these situations unless totally out of pocket (thrown punches, etc).

[Klomp]

How many players on the Wolves need to be out before Denver wins?

Only the Rockets have been more pathetic. Then again Lebron is still LeBron. Imagine getting beat by some guy named AYO.

Not to mention the fact that if any Timberwolves player gets suspended, it all but certainly needs to also mean that the 350-pounder who charged toward the sideline needs to also be suspended.

[Klomp]

Can minn win a game without two of their best players against denver?

Ayo Dosunmu isn't getting suspended.