The Timberwolves Send home the Denver Nuggets in a Thrilling Six-Game Series

The three seed in the Western Conference, the Denver Nuggets, faced off against the six seed, the Minnesota Timberwolves, for the first round of the 2026 NBA playoffs. The first game of the series tipped off on April 18, with Denver having home court advantage to start. 

Denver came out hot-headed to get game one started with their star center Nikola Jokic leading the way for them as usual. Ball Arena was packed and practically shaking with the loud fans as they watched the rivalry unravel into the playoffs. Jamal Murray quickly got started, scoring a smooth 30 points and seven assists, with Jokic providing in every box score category. Jokic had a triple-double of 25 points, 13 rebounds, and 11 assists. But it wasn’t just Denver’s two star players that won it for them; the other three starters reached double-digit scores of their own to boost the 11-point victory to seal game one. Not only did Denver’s starters all have double-digit scores, but so did Minnesota’s, with Anthony Edwards having a team high of 22. 

Game one was practically even statistically despite the 105-116 loss for Minnesota; the Wolves shot 46% from the field while the Nuggets shot a slightly lower percentage of 43.7%. They both had the same amount of steals and fast break points, and were only a few rebounds off from sharing the same number as well. What made the Wolves lose the game was free throws and foul trouble; three out of the five Minnesota starters had four fouls each. This led to Denver shooting 33 free throws, obtaining an extra 30 points just from that alone. Rudy Gobert, Minnesota’s 7’1” center, couldn’t contain Jokic, allowing him the almost 30-point triple-double.

But the Wolves turned it around for game two; they scraped by to win by a close five points. Edwards put on a show on the road with a 30-point and 10 rebound double-double to lead Minnesota to the 119-114 victory. Despite the win, Gobert had another, if not worse, game. He couldn’t contain Jokic yet again, allowing Denver’s center to get 24 points, 15 rebounds, and 8 assists, almost another triple-double. Not only could Gobert not stop Jokic, but he couldn’t score himself, having a mere two points and only seven rebounds. Gobert got out-rebounded by three different teammates despite being the tallest on the team. 

Regardless of the struggles from Gobert, the Wolves did better statistically in this game. They lead the stats in steals, rebounds, assists, field goal percentage, blocks, and points off turnovers for both teams. Denver still shot 30 free throws with Jaden McDaniels and Gobert having five fouls, but Minnesota made up for it by shooting 30 as well and forcing Cam Johnson from the Nuggets to have five as well.  

With the series tied 1-1, both teams traveled to Minnesota to play games three and four. Back on their home court without the high elevation that made it hard to breathe, the Wolves slaughtered Denver for their home crowd. With Aaron Gordon, a vital role player for the Nuggets, out, the Wolves took advantage. Denver came out slow in the first quarter, only scoring 11 points total. Six different Minnesota players scored in double digits, with a bench player, Ayo Dosunmu, providing an efficient 25 points that no one expected. Dosunmu had the team’s high in points and became vital in the stretch as Edwards had fouled out. 

Jokic yet again had a double-double of 27 points and 15 rebounds, but he got no help from his crumbling team. Christian Braun only had two points, and both Cam Johnson and Spencer Jones had six points. Their starting line-up came out weak and unready, which ultimately cost them the game. Even though Edwards had fouled out, Gobert was in foul trouble with four, and Denver shot 40 free throws, Minnesota was still able to win 113–96 to take game three and lead the series 2-1. 

Game four felt the same, with Minnesota winning 112-96 at home. Minnesota was able to keep their hands to themselves with only McDaniels having five fouls and cooling the free-throw number back down to 28 for the Nuggets. Jokic, like usual, put up 24 points, 15 rebounds, and 9 assists, and Murray followed with 30 himself, but Dosunmu put on another crazy performance. Dosunmu led the Wolves to the victory with a whopping career high of 43 points. Within the first two minutes of the game, Minnesota’s starting guard Donte DiVincenzo came down with an Achilles tendon rupture, forcing Dosunmu to step into that role. Denver’s starters, even with Gordon back, couldn’t contribute, with the surrounding three for Jokic and Murray scoring nine points apiece. 

What really sealed Minnesota’s win was Denver shooting 21.4% from the three-point line, which hurt them because Denver scored a large majority of its points from beyond the arc. The Wolves also out-rebound the Nuggets by 11, and accumulated more points off of turnovers and fast breaks than Denver did. With the Wolves leading the series 3-1 now, chances of a comeback for Denver were slim, but both teams traveled back to Colorado for game five. 

Denver decided to take control again in game five, not wanting their season to be cut short. Dosunmu moved to a starter for the Wolves with DiVincenzo out for the rest of the season and most likely next season due to his injury. Edwards, as well, was sidelined for game five with a left knee hyperextension and bone bruise. Denver’s starters put on a show to keep their season alive. Jokic had a triple-double of 27 points, 12 rebounds, and 16 assists. Murray contributed 24 points, Jones had 20, Johnson had 18, and a few bench players trickled in baskets here and there. But Minnesota responded fairly well with six players in double-figures, three of them coming off the bench. 

But it wasn’t enough to stop the Nuggets, who were able to get more fast-break points and points off turnovers. Denver honed in on stopping Dosunmu since Minnesota didn’t have Edwards for Denver to worry about. Dosunmu provided 18 points despite Denver’s focus on him. Gobert is what made Minnesota break this game. After having a decent game three and four, he went back to how he was playing in games one and two. He only contributed three points and seven rebounds. He got out-rebounded again by two of his teammates, and he couldn’t slow Jokic down; the matchup was clearly a tough one for him. Denver dominated 125-113 to secure the win and to bring the series to 3-2.

For game six, they traveled yet again to Minnesota, where the Wolves decided to seal the deal. With Edwards still out, you would think the Nuggets would capitalize and tie the series up, but yet again, they allowed a bench player to out-play them. Terrence Shannon Jr., a typical bench player for the Wolves, not only started because of Dosunmu being out with a sore right calf, but also scored 24 points. Jaden McDaniels also came out hot after being silent the whole series. He punished Murray defensively and capitalized on it offensively, scoring a game high of 32 points in addition to his 10 rebounds. Jokic put Gobert to work again, having a double-double of 28 points and 10 assists to go along with his nine rebounds. 

Even with Jokic trying to capitalize on his matchup with Gobert like he had been all series, Gobert decided to take it as a wake-up call. Gobert had a double-double himself with 10 points and 13 rebounds. He also contributed eight assists and two blocks alongside his five fouls. Even with Johnson stepping up in place of Murray for the Nuggets, they still couldn’t pull off the road victory. Murray, who was locked up all game by McDaniels, had a rough 12 points. With Gordon still out for Denver, they had to generate more offense somewhere other than Jokic because basketball can’t be a one-man show, so Johnson stepped up, dropping 27 points and eight rebounds. But Minnesota out-rebounded Denver by 17 and led the game in fast break points and points off turnovers to win 110-98.

The Wolves will move on to face Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Semi-finals after defeating the Nuggets 4-2. The Spurs hold the two seed in the West so Minnesota will be entering this matchup as “under-dogs” yet again.