The Minnesota Timberwolves are off to an excellent begin of their quest to knock off the defending champion Denver Nuggets. The Wolves have taken the primary two video games of the sequence after a lopsided 106-80 win in Denver on Monday evening. With out Rudy Gobert within the lineup, Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Cities scored 27 factors apiece because it was Minnesota’s protection that basically led the way in which.

Minnesota will head house with an opportunity to brush on the Goal Middle, because the two-game homestand begins Friday at 9:30 p.m. ET.

The Nuggets misplaced just one house recreation in your entire 2023 postseason. The Timberwolves have already taken two off of them. The celebrity duo of Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray mixed to attain solely 24 factors in Recreation 2 and issues have gotten very tense within the Denver locker room.

“They kicked our ass. So yeah, it bought away from us,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone stated after the sport.

The Wolves remained undefeated within the playoffs and are actually 6-0. The Nuggets, in the meantime, by no means trailed in a sequence throughout their run to the 2023 title a 12 months in the past. We’ll see how they reply in Recreation 3 on Friday.

Nuggets vs. Timberwolves schedule, scores

All occasions Japanese | * If crucial

• Recreation 1: Timberwolves 106, Nuggets 99 — Minnesota leads sequence 1-0
• Recreation 2: Timberwolves 106, Nuggets 80 — Minnesota leads sequence 2-0
• Recreation 3: Friday, Could 10 — Nuggets at Timberwolves, 9:30 p.m., ESPN
• Recreation 4: Sunday, Could 12 — Nuggets at Timberwolves, 8 p.m., TNT
• Recreation 5*: Tuesday, Could 14 — Timberwolves at Nuggets, TBD, TNT
• Recreation 6*: Thursday, Could 16 — Nuggets at Timberwolves, 8:30 p.m., ESPN
• Recreation 7*: Sunday, Could 19 — Timberwolves at Nuggets, TBD

Nuggets vs. Timberwolves, Recreation 3

The place to look at

Time: 9:30 p.m. ET | Date: Friday, Could 10
Location: Goal Middle — Minneapolis
TV channel: ESPN | Streaming: ESPN/fubo

Storylines

The Wolves held Denver to an unsightly 29-of-83 taking pictures evening in Recreation 2, and probably the most spectacular factor about that was the absence of their greatest defender, 7-foot-1 middle Rudy Gobert, who was again in Minneapolis for the beginning of his son.

Gobert’s fingerprints have been throughout this masterpiece. “Rudy’s pushed the defensive tradition right here. I feel it is a testomony to his impression, his presence and what he is infused into the crew of how vital protection is and the way nice it may be once we play it,” Wolves coach Chris Finch stated. “That apart, we count on to win regardless of who’s with us and who’s not.”

Jamal Murray, who threw a warmth pack onto the court docket in frustration, has shot 9 for 32 on this sequence. He left Ball Enviornment with out remark for the second straight recreation and is more likely to be fined by the NBA for his actions.

Prediction

Opening sequence odds: Nuggets -185, Wolves +155
Sequence odds after Recreation 2: Wolves -189, Nuggets +157

Keep tuned for an professional choose for Recreation 3.