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It was a pretty solid weekend of NBA playoff picks for readers. We were able to get an easy win over the Magic team in Game 3 of their series against Detroit (Game 4 takes place tonight). We were also able to cash in on a ticket on the Thunder that covered a fairly large number of visitors against the Suns. Yesterday, the Cavs were in control until they did the typical Cleveland thing and ruined the game late. It’s almost as if every Cleveland sports team has decided to make the playoffs as unreliable as possible. Today we look for victory with the Timberwolves and the Nuggets facing off in Game 5.
This has been a bit of a rough series, but it almost seems like that’s precisely what the Timberwolves wanted. Minnesota has been the team that has criticized Denver for its defense and they happily accept any type of confrontation. Any team with Anthony Edwards will have some arrogance, but this almost seems like the T-Wolves are being disrespectful to this challenger. I guess it’s working, considering the team is up 3-1 in the series.
Denver Nuggets PG Jamal Murray drives into the paint over Minnesota Timberwolves SG Anthony Edwards in Game 3 of the first round of the 2026 Western Conference Playoffs. (Abbie Parr/AP)
However, there is significant cause for concern. The Timberwolves took a big hit last game, and I’m not talking about the pushing and shoving between Jaden McDaniels and Nikola Jokic. Their sharpshooter, Dante DiVincenzo, who was cited as a major reason they won Game 2, was lost for the season (and likely the next) after tearing his Achilles tendon. Significantly worse, the Timberwolves also lost Edwards for a few weeks after he hyperextended his knee. If Minnesota wants to have one more game in this series to close it out, they have to do it without Edwards.
Minnesota Timberwolves All-Star Anthony Edwards shoots over Denver Nuggets PG Jamal Murray in game three of their NBA playoff first-round series at Target Center in Minneapolis. (Abbie Parr/AP)
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The Nuggets don’t look like the one-time champions you’d expect. They are proving the Timberwolves right in saying their defense is garbage. In three straight games, they have allowed over 112 points to their opponent, which is about their season average. They also scored just 96 points in both games in Minnesota. Rudy Gobert, the Timberwolves’ much-maligned center, is doing a great job limiting Jokic’s success. It remains to be seen if Jokic can decipher Rudy’s defensive efforts.
Nuggets vs. Timberwolves Game 3 pick depends on Jaden McDaniels calling Denver’s entire defense
Aaron Gordon has returned to Denver, but it appears he is still struggling. He only played 23 minutes and added only nine points on 11 field goal attempts. Overall, the team shot just 21% from deep in this game. I have to imagine that gets better. The team shot nearly 40% from deep in the regular season, but overall is shooting 28% in the series. That’s still better than what they showed in Game 4.
Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic reacts in overtime against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado, on December 25, 2025. (Ron Chenoy/Image Images)
Much of the story of the fourth game revolved around the ending. It’s a stupid narrative, but it comes up from time to time. Basically, the game was over: the Timberwolves had the ball with seconds left, they threw it down the court, and instead of dribbling it, McDaniels went in for a layup. Jokic took offense and there was some minor shoving. No one ended up being suspended, but there were some fines.
That missed the impressive play of the Timberwolves’ Ayo Dosunmu. He was acquired from the Bulls at the trade deadline and gave Minnesota a career performance. Dosunmo scored 43 points in that game, but I don’t expect that success to continue. Tonight it is listed at 19.5 points and I like the under. He is still a role player, and while he will have a larger role, there will be no home court or element of surprise. Julius Randle will have to handle most of the scoring duties and I think it’s more likely that he will go over 21.5 points. I’ll play both options tonight as Denver looks to extend the series.
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