Denver Nuggets vs Minnesota Timberwolves Prediction, Preview and Odds - 04/23/2026

Game Time: 9:30 pm ET, Thursday, April 23, 2026

Venue:  Target Center, Minneapolis, MN

Where to Watch:  Prime Video

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Nuggets -1.5, Timberwolves +1.5; Over/Under:  233.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Nuggets -1.5, Timberwolves +1.5; Over/Under:  233.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Nuggets -1.5, Timberwolves +1.5; Over/Under:  234.5 points

Denver Nuggets:  54-28 (2nd place, Northwest Division)

Minnesota Timberwolves:  49-33 (3rd place, Northwest Division)

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Denver Nuggets:  9-1 last 10

Minnesota Timberwolves:  5-5 last 10

The Nuggets are entering the playoffs with a 54-28 record overall this season and they were 26-15 in their road games where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a loss against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Jamal Murray led the team in points in that game with 30 while Nikola Jokić was next on the team with 24 points. Nikola Jokić led the team in assists in that game with 8 while Nikola Jokić led the team in rebounds with 15. They were 44.2% from the field, 36.6% from 3-point range, and 76.7% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 122.1 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 116.9 PPG against them. The Nuggets have an ATS record of 45-39 this season and their O/U record is 52-32.

The Timberwolves are entering the playoffs with a 49-33 record overall this season and they were 26-15 in their home games where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a win against the Denver Nuggets. Anthony Edwards led the team in points in that game with 30 while Julius Randle was next on the team with 24 points. Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo each led the team in assists in that game with 6 while Anthony Edwards led the team in rebounds with 10. They were 47.8% from the field, 41.2% from 3-point range, and 63.3% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 118 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 114.6 PPG against them. The Timberwolves have an ATS record of 37-47 this season and their O/U record is 37-47.

The current betting odds have the Nuggets listed as a 1.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Nuggets have looked great in their games this season with their 54-28 record overall which had them right near the top of the West. They have been a great road team too with their 26-15 road record this year. Meanwhile, the Timberwolves have looked good in their games this season with their 49-33 record overall which had them in the top half of the West. They have looked good on their home court too with their 26-15 home record this season. This is game 3 of a 7-game series between the 3 seeded Nuggets and the 6 seeded Timberwolves in the West for the 1st round of the NBA playoffs. This series is evened up 1-1 after the Timberwolves won game 2 by a score of 119-114. The Timberwolves looked great in the 2nd half of that win, but this could be a very different series with how up and down they have been. They could be up 2-0 in the series as they looked great in game 1 before completely letting the game go in the 2nd half, and they could also be down 2-0 as they put themselves in a big hole to start game 2. They ended up getting their job done, stealing a road game in this series, but the Nuggets are going to be looking to bounce back after having their 13 game winning streak snapped. The Nuggets have been one of the hottest teams in the NBA lately and they are still 9-1 in their last 10 games. The Nuggets will have an answer to that home loss since the pressure is on them to get the home advantage back now, so look for them to bring their best effort against a streaky Timberwolves team that has been all over the place in the first 2 games. The Timberwolves are only 5-5 in their last 10 games too, so they weren't rolling into this series as they have been a streaky team over the last few weeks now. The best way to place a bet here is on the Nuggets to cover the spread in this game. 

Nuggets Timberwolves Prediction:  Our NBA Pick for Thursday, April 23, 2026 (9:30 pm ET start time) is Nuggets 117 Timberwolves 112.

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Denver Nuggets: 21-15 ATS versus good 3 point shooting teams - making 36% of their attempts or more. 26-18 ATS when playing against a team with a winning record. 19-9 ATS versus good teams - outscoring their opponents by 3+ points/game. 36-23 OVER when the total is greater than or equal to 230. 

Minnesota Timberwolves: 5-10 ATS when the line is +3 to -3. 3-6 ATS off a win against a division rival. 18-27 ATS after a win by 6 points or less. 5-1 OVER in the 3rd game of a playoff series.

Denver Nuggets:  P. Watson (SF) Out - Hamstring.

Minnesota Timberwolves:  None.

“I trust C.B. to make free throws. It rimmed out. That happens in the NBA. You're going to have moments that you don't want to remember. That's a tough moment for C.B. after playing such a good game." - David Adelman after his team’s loss against the Timberwolves in the 2nd game of this series on Monday. 

“He was awesome. It was unbelievable. Also in that (first) period when we were down, he was great on the bench. Great leadership, positive. He recognized he needed to get into attack mode and get downhill a little bit more. He did that." - Chris Finch after his team’s win against the Nuggets in game 2 of this series on Monday. 

PG Jamal Murray

SG Christian Braun

SF Cameron Johnson

PF Aaron Gordon

C Nikola Jokic

PG Donte DiVincenzo

SG Anthony Edwards

SF Jaden McDaniels

PF Julius Randle

C Rudy Gobert

PPG: Nikola Jokic (27.7)

APG: Nikola Jokic (10.7)

Reb/G: Nikola Jokic (12.9)

PPG: Anthony Edwards (28.8)

APG: Julius Randle (5)

Reb/G: Rudy Gobert (11.5)

Coaches:

Denver Nuggets: David Adelman (2nd season)

Minnesota Timberwolves: Chris Finch (6th season)