What is the old phrase?…Familiarity breeds contempt? Yes, and tt certainly can be applied to the Western Conference series between the Denver Nuggets and the Minnesota Timberwolves. This is the third time in the last four years they are meeting in the playoffs. The latest iteration continues tonight with Game 3 of their Western Conference first round series.
Last postseason these teams entertained us with a thrilling seven-game series in the Western Conference Semis with Minnesota prevailing 4-3. The Timberwolves took Games 6 and 7 to advance to the conference finals. In 2023 Denver won in the Opening Round against Minnesota taking the best-of-seven series in five games, 4-1. Minnesota has won nine of their 17 playoff games overall against Denver.
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Monday night saw the Nuggets blow an early 20-point lead at home and eventually lose to the Timberwolves, 119-114. Anthony Edwards poured in 30 points to leads Minnesota’s attack. Naz Reid added 27 and Julius Randle added 24 to help support the comeback. Nikola Jokic was just OK for Denver putting up what for him was a pedestrian stat line of 24 points, 15 rebounds, and 8 assists in the loss.
Game 3 more than likely comes down to how efficiently the Nuggets are on offense vs. Minnesota’s ability to shut down the perimeter defensively. Jamal Murray has done whatever he wants to this point. That needs to stop for Minnesota to win and grab the upper hand in this series.
Lets take a closer look at tonight’s matchup and take into consideration lineups, injuries, and other factors affecting the line and total.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on how to catch tipoff, odds courtesy of DraftKings recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
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Game Details and How to Watch Live: Timberwolves vs. Nuggets
Date: Thursday, April 23, 2026
Network/Streaming: Prime Video
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Game Odds: Timberwolves vs. Nuggets
The latest odds as of Thursday courtesy of DraftKings:
Moneyline: Minnesota Timberwolves (+114), Denver Nuggets (-135)
This game opened Nuggets -1.5 with the Game Total set at 231.5.
Be sure to check out DraftKings for all the latest game odds & player props for every matchup this week on the NBA schedule!
Expected Starting Lineups: Timberwolves vs. NuggetsMinnesota Timberwolves
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Denver NuggetsInjury Report: Timberwolves vs. NuggetsMinnesota Timberwolves
Anthony Edwards (knee) is listed as probable for tonight’s game
Denver Nuggets
Aaron Gordon (calf) is probable for tonight’s game
Peyton Watson (hamstring) has been declared OUT of tonight’s game
Important stats, trends and insights: Timberwolves vs. Nuggets
The Timberwolves are 26-15 at home this season
The Nuggets are 26-15 on the road this season
The Nuggets are 45-39 ATS this season
Minnesota is 38-46 ATS this season
The OVER has cashed in 53 of the Nuggets’ 84 games this season (53-31)
The OVER has cashed in 38 of the Timberwolves’ 84 games this season (38-46)
Rudy Gobert is averaging 8.5 rebounds per game in this series
Rotoworld Best Bet
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Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the NBA calendar based on data points like recent performance, head-to-head player matchups, trends information and projected game totals.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projections next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
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Here are the best bets our model is projecting for tonight’s Timberwolves and Nuggets game:
Moneyline: Rotoworld Bet is leaning towards a play on the Timberwolves on the Moneyline
Spread: Rotoworld Bet is recommending a play on the Timberwolves +2.5 ATS
Total: Rotoworld Bet is leaning towards a play on the Game Total UNDER 233.5
Want even more NBA best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert NBA Predictions page from NBC Sports for money line, spread and over/under picks for every game on today’s calendar!
If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our NBA Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!
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Trysta Krick (@Trysta_Krick)