Timberwolves at Nuggets Game 1 preview: TV-radio information, injury report, statistics
The teams start their NBA second-round playoff series on Saturday night in Denver.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
May 3, 2024 at 10:34PM
No. 2 Denver Nuggets vs. No. 3 Timberwolves
Game 1: 6 p.m. Saturday, Ball Arena, Denver
TV; radio: TNT; 100.3 FM and iHeartRadio app
Stats and analytics: Tap here.
Game preview
Opening bell: The teams split four games during the regular season, and the Nuggets won the last meeting to not only cost the Wolves the No. 1 seed in the West but also force a second-round meeting with the defending NBA champs. Denver beat the Lakers 4-1 and the Wolves swept the Suns in the first round.
Watch him: Denver’s Jamal Murray had two buzzer-beating shots in the Lakers series, adding to what coach Mike Malone called “his playoff lore.” He was questionable for Game 5 because of a calf injury and scored 32 points. His pick-and-roll game with two-time MVP Nikola Jokic will be hard to stop.
Injuries: Murray (calf) is questionable for Denver.
Forecast: Jokic is headed toward his third MVP award, so how will the Wolves defend the best player on the planet? Wolves center Rudy Gobert is likely to win his fourth Defensive Player of the Year Award, but he’ll need help from Karl-Anthony Towns and Naz Reid in this series. If the Wolves can limit Jokic, they will likely steal a game in Denver. But it’s a big if.
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After trailing from the first basket to the final 69 ticks, the Timberwolves defeated a Phoenix team that lacked key players but had Devin Booker, who scored 44 points.
