Pick details
| MATCHUP | Minnesota Timberwolves | Denver Nuggets |
|---|---|---|
| Team Records | 49-33 | 54-28 |
| Where | Ball Arena, Denver, CO | |
| When | Saturday, April 18, 2026 | |
| Time | 03:30 PM EDT | |
| TV | Prime Video | |
Minnesota Timberwolves Betting Preview
The Minnesota Timberwolves didn’t finish the regular season like they wanted as they split their last 12 games to finish with a 49-33 overall record and a lot of that has to do with their offensive efficiency that was only ranked 14th this season. Anthony Edwards played just 61 games this season, but still led the way with averages of 28.8 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game, Julius Randle played 79 games with averages of 21.1 points, 6.7 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game while Jaden McDaniels averaged 14.8 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. As a team, the Timberwolves scored 118.0 points per game while shooting 48.1 percent from the field and 37.0 percent from the 3-point line.
Denver Nuggets Betting Preview
Meanwhile, the Denver Nuggets look to be peaking at just the right time as they capped the regular season with a 12-game win streak to finish with a 54-28 overall record. Nikola Jokic compiled a historic season as he finished with averages of 27.7 points, 12.9 rebounds and 10.7 assists per game while leading the league in rebounds and assists, Jamal Murray averaged 25.4 points and 7.1 assists per game while Aaron Gordon averaged 16.2 points and 5.8 rebounds per game in the 36 games that he played. As a team, the Nuggets scored 122.1 points per game while shooting 49.6 percent from the field and 39.6 percent from the 3-point line.
Minnesota v Denver Free Prediction
The Timberwolves rested their players early and expect to have a full roster for Saturday, while the Nuggets are still sweating on the availability of Jamal Murray and Christian Braun who are both questionable. These teams met four times in the regular season with the Nuggets winning the first three contests, before the Timberwolves got some revenge in the fourth encounter. Be sure to check the lineups before tipoff, but at this stage I prefer a play on the Nuggets to draw first blood with a win and cover at home, but that’s assuming that Murray is able to suit up. I think this series gets to six games and it kicks off with the Nuggets winning relatively comfortably at home.
Peter Tran's Pick: Denver -6.5
