NBA Playoffs – Wolves Aim to Upset Nuggets in Game 1

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2025-26 NBA Post Season

Playoffs, first round – Game 1

Denver Nuggets v Minnesota Timberwolves

Ball Arena

Denver, Colorado

Saturday 18 April 2026

Tip-off at 21:30

Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves meet for the fourth time in the Playoffs, with Game 1 of the Western Conference first round taking place at the Ball Arena on the evening of Saturday, April 18.

The last post-season match-up between the two teams came in the 2024 Western Conference semi-finals when the Timberwolves came from behind to win the series 4-3.

It was sweet revenge after the Nuggets had cruised to a 4-1 victory in the first round of the 2023 Playoffs, with the score being reversed when they clashed for the first time at the same stage in 2004.

Denver secured third place in the West with a strong finish to the regular season as they won their last 12 games to finish with a record of 54-28.

Nikola Jokic had another brilliant campaign as he recorded 34 triple-doubles and averaged 27.7 points per game, while leading the NBA in total assists and rebounds in 2025-26.

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Nuggets head coach David Adelman admitted his team are high on confidence, but insisted the competition in the West is stronger than ever.

“We’re really confident and I think everybody in the West should be. Anybody in the West can win this thing, man,” Adelman said.

“Preparation wins over energy in my opinion. The energy is going to be there through the crowd.”

Minnesota managed to hold onto the final automatic playoff berth in the West after closing out the regular season with a 5-5 run and an overall record of 49-33.

Anthony Edwards starred for Chris Finch’s team, averaging 28.8 points per game and was named NBA All-Star Game MVP after recording a total of 32 points and nine rebounds across three games for the USA Stars.

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Finch has urged his team to up their game against Denver after going 1-3 against them in the regular season, but winning 117-108 most recently last month.

“We know the team we can be and who we have been. It’s about whether we can maintain that,” he said. “You don’t ever really want to be a flip-the-switch team, but we do have a switch to flip, and we have to flip it now.

“When we do that, everybody kind of becomes the best version of themselves and that brings out that continuity and connection that we need.”

Denver Nuggets v Minnesota Timberwolves – Head-to-head, Post Season

Games played: 17

Nuggets wins: 8

Wolves wins: 9