The eighth-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves play Game 1 of their best-of-seven series against the top-seeded Denver Nuggets on Sunday night. The Western Conference playoffs begin with a game in the Mile-High City, kicking off a series between Northwest Division foes.
The most recent Injury update for Denver Nuggets vs. Minnesota Timberwolves
The Nuggets Report
Denver struggled down the line, dropping five of their final seven regular-season games, but they still earned the top seed in the Western Conference.
The Nuggets concluded the season 53-29, winning the Northwest Division by 11 games over Minnesota, and will attempt to regroup before the postseason begins.
In their regular-season finale against Sacramento, Denver trailed by 17 points after the first quarter but rallied after the Kings began freely replacing.
The Nuggets trailed by eight points at halftime before outscoring the Kings 50-28 in the second half to win.
Denver shot an even 50% from the field, including seven of 28 from three-point range, and won the rebounding battle 51-34. In the win, Bruce Brown had 21 points, six rebounds, and six assists.
Denver is 12th in the league in scoring offense, averaging 115.8 points per game this season.
The Nuggets are 19th in rebounding with 43 boards per game and second in assist average with 28.9 assists per game.
Denver ranks eighth in scoring defense, allowing an average of 112.5 points per game.
This season, Nikola Jokic leads the team in scoring with 24.5 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 9.8 assists per game.
Each of Jamal Murray (20 points, 6.2 assists), Aaron Gordon (16.3 points, 6.6 rebounds), Michael Porter Jr. (17.4 points, 5.5 rebounds), and Thomas Bryant (9.8 points) is a capable scorer.
Other players in the rotation include Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (10.8 points), Bruce Brown (11.5 points), Jeff Green, DeAndre Jordan, Reggie Jackson, and Christian Braun.
The Nuggets lead the NBA in field goal percentage, shooting 50.4% from the field. Denver ranks 18th with 11.8 three-point attempts per game, while the club ranks fourth with 37.9% of their tries from beyond the arc.
Collin Gillespie (leg) is sidelined indefinitely following surgery to mend a broken leg. He has no plans to return.
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The Timberwolves Report
Minnesota rebounded from their disaster against the Lakers, where they lost out on the seventh slot, by thrashing Oklahoma City to earn the eighth seed on Friday night.
The Timberwolves are now looking to reclaim home-court advantage after losing both meetings in Denver this season.
Minnesota led Oklahoma City by one after the first quarter before outscoring them 33-24 in the second quarter to take a 10-point lead into the half.
The Timberwolves never let their lead drop below seven points the rest of the game as they cruised to victory.
Minnesota hit 51.8% from the field, including 13 of 32 from three-point range, while holding Oklahoma City to 36%.
Minnesota is 13th in the league in scoring offense this season, averaging 115.8 points per game. The Timberwolves are ranked 23rd in rebounding with 41.9 rebounds per game and 8th in assists with 26.2 assists per game.
Minnesota has been below average on defense, ranking 18th in scoring defense with 115.8 points allowed per game.
The Timberwolves have major roster difficulties going into this matchup.
- Rudy Gobert
Due to back spasms, Gobert is questionable for Sunday’s game against Denver.
Gobert was also classified as questionable for Friday’s Play-In Game against the Thunder, but he played through the injury and finished with a double-double in 33 minutes.
Given that he didn’t encounter any exertion restrictions on Friday, it’s probable he’ll play through the injury again unless he has a setback before the game.
- Jaylen Nowell
Due to left knee tendinopathy, Nowell is questionable for Game 1 against the Nuggets on Sunday.
Nowell played 13 minutes and was not noted on the injury report for Friday’s game against the Thunder, suggesting that this ailment is not too serious.
Even if he is available, Nowell will most likely start on the bench. During the regular season, he started only two of his 65 games.
- Naz Reid
Reid (wrist) suffered an injury against the Suns on March 29 and underwent surgery, which will keep him out until at least mid-May.
- Jaden McDaniels
McDaniels (hand) was hurt on April 9 after he allegedly punched a wall during a game versus the Pelicans.
