The Denver Nuggets vs. Minnesota Timberwolves playoff game is set to tip off at 9:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, April 23, with the Nuggets entering as 1.5-point favorites on the spread, via PrizePicks.
One of the NBA’s top modern-day rivalries is in full swing as the No. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves evened up the series in Game 2 against the No. 3 Denver Nuggets. The Timberwolves clawed themselves out of a 20-point hole on Monday to steal an away game vs. Denver. Will the Nuggets get revenge tonight?
Below, we'll break down our Nuggets vs. Timberwolves prediction and picks for Thursday’s NBA Playoff game, including the spread, over/under, and key player picks for PrizePicks.
Make your picks for Nuggets vs. Timberwolves on PrizePicks now.
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Nuggets vs. Timberwolves Prediction, Spread, Over/Under – Thursday, April 23
After a disappointing Game 1 for the Timberwolves, they got right back to being the Nuggets’ kryptonite in Game 2. Finding themselves down by 20 points early in the second quarter, SG Anthony Edwards led the charge with 30 points while chipping in 10 rebounds in the comeback effort.
Despite scoring just 2 points, Timberwolves C Rudy Gobert could have easily been the player of the game for Minnesota with his remarkable effort on C Nikola Jokic. Jokic has had his way with Gobert in the past, but on Monday, Gobert held the three-time MVP to just 8-of-20 shooting.
Will Jokic and Denver bounce back on the road in Game 3?
Nuggets vs. Timberwolves Spread, Over/Under – Thursday, April 23
The Nuggets enter Thursday’s game as 1.5-point road favorites against the Timberwolves, returning a 1.69x payout if they win outright, via PrizePicks Team Picks.
Here are the full payouts for the Nuggets vs. Timberwolves game on PrizePicks.
- Spread: Denver Nuggets -1.5 (1.75x payout)
- Over/Under: 232.5 (1.78x payout on Over)
- Game Winner Payout: Nuggets - 1.69x | Timberwolves - 2.04x
Play the Nuggets vs. Timberwolves spread or over/under on PrizePicks Team Picks to earn real money — available in 35 states!
Team Picks data is live at the time of writing and is subject to change.
Denver Nuggets vs. Minnesota Timberwolves Timeline
Here is the full Nuggets vs. Timberwolves timeline, including the playoff series game-by-game and recent matchup history.
All-Time: Nuggets, 101-71
Regular Season: Nuggets, 3-1
Series: Tied 1-1
Nuggets vs. Timberwolves First Round Timeline, Schedule for 2026 NBA Playoffs
- Game 1: Nuggets 116, Timberwolves 105
- Game 2: Timberwolves 119, Nuggets 114
- Game 3: Thursday, April 23, 9:30 p.m. ET in Minnesota
- Game 4: Saturday, April 25, 8:30 p.m. ET in Minnesota
- Game 5: Monday, April 27, 10:30 p.m. ET in Denver
- Games 6 and 7 if necessary
Nuggets vs. Timberwolves Prediction on Spread for NBA Playoffs First Round
Here are the key game stats and trends behind our Timberwolves vs. Nuggets prediction on the spread for Thursday, April 23.
Lock in your Timberwolves vs. Nuggets prediction on PrizePicks before the line moves.
- Minnesota has been an easy fade all season, going just 36-46-0 (43.9%) against the spread (ATS).
- Denver has surprisingly been much better ATS on the road this season. It has the second-best road covering percentage at 24-17-0 (58.5%).
- The Nuggets covered in three of the four games against Minnesota in the regular season.
- Over the last 10 regular-season games, the Nuggets' net rating (+10.6) was 11.2 points better than the Timberwolves' (-0.6), per NBA Advanced Stats.
- Minnesota's strength defensively is its ability to limit the other team’s 3-point attempts to only 34.0 per game (second-fewest).
- This strength may be less relevant against a Nuggets team that does not rely heavily on the 3-point shot, ranking 16th in the percentage of points generated from behind the arc.
- Denver would prefer to take efficient 2-point shots, as seen by ranking first in both eFG% (57.7) and true shooting percentage (61.6%) during the regular season.
- In 2024's playoff series, the Timberwolves won the first two games in Denver before the Nuggets won both matchups in Minnesota.
Nuggets vs. Timberwolves Player Picks, Stats for PrizePicks – 4/23/26
Here are the top Nuggets vs. Timberwolves picks to target on PrizePicks for Thursday, April 23. Today’s NBA picks for PrizePicks include Julius Randle and Nikola Jokic.
Timberwolves F Julius Randle vs. Nuggets Projection: 30.5 Pts + Rebs + Asts
- This may be a low projection for Randle, who averages 32.8 points, rebounds, and assists (PRA) per game.
- He went over this projection in three of his four regular-season matchups against the Nuggets.
- Denver’s best defender, Aaron Gordon, will likely draw the Anthony Edwards assignment. This could leave Randle to cook against some subpar defenders.
- The Nuggets' defense in general has been incredibly weak this season, ranking just 21st in defensive rating (116.0).
- Randle soared over his projection in Game 2, going for 24-9-6 (39 PRA).
Add Julius Randle to your PrizePicks Lineup now.
Nuggets C Nikola Jokic vs. Timberwolves Projection: 52.5 Pts + Rebs + Asts
- This is a pace-up matchup for Jokic and the Nuggets, who rank 20th in the league in pace, against a Timberwolves team that ranks in the top 10.
- Jokic has terrorized Gobert and the Timberwolves this season, surpassing this projection in three of his four matchups.
- In the 2024 Western Conference Finals, the Timberwolves deployed a defensive scheme against Jokic that focused on taking away his passing, leading him to take 21.6 shots per game.
- Jokic averaged 51.3 PRA this season while taking just 17.4 shots per game; if his shot volume increases significantly, he can clear this projection with relative ease.
- The Timberwolves are giving up the fifth-most free-throw attempts per game this season at 25.3. This could lead to plenty of free points for the Joker, who is averaging a career-high 7.4 free-throw attempts per game.
Add Nikola Jokic to your PrizePicks Lineup now.
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NBA Playoffs Live Picks: Nuggets vs. Timberwolves on PrizePicks for Game 3
Here are some in-game angles to target for your Nuggets vs. Timberwolves live picks in tonight’s game.
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- If Jamal Murray can get hot, the Nuggets have a great chance of recapturing the series lead. Murray is averaging +3.1 more points per game in wins while shooting +5.1% better from the field and +13.8% better from 3-point range.
- During the regular season, the Nuggets had a higher net rating than the Timberwolves in the first and thir d quarters, but in the second and fourth quarters, it was the Timberwolves with the higher net rating.
- Both teams' slowest pace is in the first quarter, with the Timberwolves ranked 18th and the Nuggets 21st.
- The Timberwolves play at the fastest pace in the league in the fourth quarter.
Make Nuggets vs. Timberwolves Picks on PrizePicks
Will the Timberwolves continue their dominance over the Nuggets in the postseason by taking a decisive 2-1 series lead? Or will Denver get revenge for Game 2's loss with a win on the road tonight?
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