The Minnesota Timberwolves are off to a good start in their quest to knock off the defending champion Denver Nuggets. The Wolves took Game 1 in Denver on Saturday night, using a strong second half to secure the victory. Anthony Edwards scored a game-high 43 points in the win and knocked down 17 of his 29 field-goal attempts.
“I’m proud of the way he’s accepted the kind of growth he needed to have to be where he is,” Wolves guard Mike Conley told reporters about Edwards “It’s not easy for a 22-, 23-year-old to make that adjustment so quickly.”
Edwards, who is 22, is averaging 33.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game in these playoffs, and picked up Saturday where he left off in a four-game sweep of the Suns in the first round.
The Wolves remained undefeated in the playoffs and are now 5-0. The Nuggets, meanwhile, never trailed in a series during their run to the 2023 title a year ago. We’ll see how they respond in Game 2 on Monday.
Nuggets vs. Timberwolves schedule, scores
All times Eastern | * If necessary
- Game 1: Timberwolves 106, Nuggets 99 — Minnesota leads series 1-0
- Game 2: Monday, May 6 — Timberwolves at Nuggets, 10 p.m., TNT
- Game 3: Friday, May 10 — Nuggets at Timberwolves, 9:30 p.m., ESPN
- Game 4: Sunday, May 12 — Nuggets at Timberwolves, 8 p.m., TNT
- Game 5*: Tuesday, May 14 — Timberwolves at Nuggets
- Game 6*: Thursday, May 16 — Nuggets at Timberwolves
- Game 7*: Sunday, May 19 — Timberwolves at Nuggets
Nuggets vs. Timberwolves, Game 2
Where to watch
Time: 10 p.m. ET | Date: Monday, May 6
Location: Ball Arena — Denver
TV channel: TNT | Streaming: Watch TNT, Max
Storylines
Michael Porter Jr. is becoming a crucial X-factor for the Nuggets. Porter has hit half of his 48 3-point attempts so far in the playoffs, becoming a key scoring option for Denver beyond Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray. Murray, who injured his calf in the series win against the Lakers, did not appear to be 100% in Saturday’s Game 1. Porter put up 20 points in the loss, and he’ll be called upon as this series against one of the league’s toughest defense continues.
“On this team I don’t have the ball in my hands most of the game, so I just have to be aggressive and try to find the ball when I can and be ready to make plays,” Porter said. “And just be aggressive because this is a good defensive team. It’s going to take a collective scoring effort to beat these guys.”
Prediction
Opening series odds: Nuggets -185, Wolves +155
Series odds after Game 1: Wolves -120, Nuggets +100
The Nuggets could use the Game 1 loss as fuel to play a full 48 minutes against the Timberwolves, especially while playing in Denver. Head coach Michael Malone said the second half defense was the biggest issue, and of course they allowed Anthony Edwards to score a playoff career-high 43 points. However, they competed well in the first half of Saturday’s game despite Jamal Murray not being completely healthy. If Rudy Gobert — who is currently listed as questionable for “personal reasons” — misses Monday’s game, his absence will also disrupt the Timberwolves defense. Pick: Nuggets (-285) – Isabel Gonzalez
