Game Preview #76 – Timberwolves at Nuggets

The Wolves kick-off a five-game road trip in the Mile High City when they face their rival Nuggets in a critical Western Conference matchup. Can the Wolves take care of business down the stretch and elevate themselves out of the dreaded play-in?

Minnesota Timberwolves at Denver Nuggets
Date: April 1st, 2025
Time: 9:00 PM CDT
Location: Ball Arena
Television Coverage: TNT/TruTV/MAX
Radio Coverage: KFAN FM/Wolves App/iHeart Radio

Look, if the 2024–25 Minnesota Timberwolves were a streaming series, we’ve officially hit the penultimate episode—the one where everything ramps up and leaves you guessing which character will catch a bullet at the White Lotus. After finishing March with a very respectable 11–3 record (and let’s be honest, it should have been 12–2 if Obi Toppin didn’t channel 2016 Steph Curry), the Wolves enter April knowing exactly what’s at stake: climb one more rung in the standings or face the Russian roulette that is the play-in tournament.

Let’s set the table: seven games left, starting with a five-game road trip that opens Tuesday night in Denver. Oh, and by the way, the Wolves have owned the Nuggets lately. Minnesota has beaten the Denver five straight times, including Games 6 and 7 of last year’s playoffs, and all three regular season matchups this year. You think Denver isn’t circling this one in blood on their calendar?

Of course, there’s the small matter of maybe not having Naz Reid or Donte DiVincenzo available thanks to the in-game brawl with Detroit on Sunday. I’m not saying the Pistons game turned into a low-budget “John Wick” sequel, but we did get ejections, flexing, and more stare-downs than an episode of “Friday Night Smackdown”. The good news? That chaos seemed to finally wake up the Wolves, who looked locked in again after a wobbly week of low-effort basketball and hero-ball gone wrong.

(Update: Reid and DiVincenzo have been suspended by the league for one game)

So now we get the battle-tested Wolves against the reigning MVP, and the stakes couldn’t be clearer. Denver is clinging to the 3-seed. Minnesota is 0.5 games behind Golden State and 1.5 behind Memphis and desperately wants to climb to six. The math is simple: beat Denver, and with the Grizzlies stumbling into a back-to-back axe fight against Boston and Golden State this week, the Wolves could find themselves in great position by Wednesday morning.

Key #1: Contain Nikola Jokic (LOL, but actually)

We all know the drill—nobody stops Jokic. You just try to make him mildly annoyed and keep him from doing the full Cirque du Serbia. That’s where Minnesota’s “Big Man TriForce” of Gobert, Randle, and Naz (pending suspension) comes in. Throw different looks. Bang bodies. Make him work for those funky Eurosteps and soft-touch runners. Rudy has been playing like a man who found the Fountain of Youth (and maybe a little French vengeance). If he controls the glass and Randle gets in his bully-ball bag, they can turn Jokic into a high-volume passer instead of a takeover threat.

Key #2: Wing Defense Like Your Season Depends on It (Because It Might)

The thing with Denver is, if Jokic can’t kill you with points, he’ll slice you apart with those no-look cross-court dimes. The Wolves need to keep Jamal Murray quiet—again. McDaniels, Ant, NAW, and Jaylen Clark need to put Murray in a straightjacket. Add in timely rotations and actual close-outs, and you can short-circuit the Nuggets’ perimeter game.

This team has PTSD from watching Royce O’Neale and Colin Gillespie combine for 11 threes again Phoenix. They let Malik Beasley look like Ray Allen on Sunday. And let’s not forget Obi T- you know what, I can’t even go there anymore. The point is, the Wolves are overdue for a “no wide-open looks” game. Monday’s a good time to fix that.

Key #3: Move the Ball

When the Wolves play like a cohesive unit, moving the ball like it’s a hot potato and finding the open man, they can hang with anybody. We saw it during the eight-game win streak. We saw it again against Phoenix and Detroit. When they don’t do it? You get mid-possession iso chucks, empty possessions, and a bunch of dudes standing around like they’re waiting for their Uber.

Mike Conley’s resurgence has helped immensely. He’s the calming force. The adult in the room. If he’s controlling tempo, Edwards and Randle can get cleaner looks, and the role guys—like McDaniels, NAW, and DiVincenzo (if available)—can feast off the scraps.

Key #4: The Stars Gotta Star

This game needs to be the Anthony Edwards show. You want the NBA to know you’ve arrived? You want people whispering about you as a first-team All-NBA guy? You go into Denver and light up Jokic and Murray in their building. He just dropped 20 on the Pistons in one quarter. Now’s the time to do it for four.

As for Randle, when he’s playing within himself—posting up, finishing through contact, rebounding like his next contract depends on it—he’s a weapon. When he starts launching 28-footers with 17 seconds on the shot clock? Less so.

Minnesota needs both guys locked in, aggressive, and smart. If they play like they did this weekend, the Nuggets are in trouble.

This is the Wolves’ biggest test left on the schedule. Win this one and the rest of the road trip—Brooklyn, Philly, Milwaukee, Memphis—suddenly feels a little less daunting. Beat Denver for the sixth straight time, and you start putting psychological real estate inside the Nuggets’ heads. We’re talking “rent-free” status. Game 1 of a potential playoff rematch in three weeks? That’s very different if Denver knows they haven’t beaten you since last season.

So yeah, Monday night isn’t a playoff game. But it sure feels like one.

Take care of business, Wolves. There’s a mountain to climb—and if recent history means anything, it’s one you already know the way up.