NBA Basketball
2026-04-23 - Denver Nuggets at Minnesota Timberwolves
A Sports Betting Pick by FirstDown
United States : NBA Basketball Playoffs First Round Game 3
Thursday 23rd April 2026 - Scheduled 9:30pm EST
2:30am (British Time)
Preview
Taking Game 1 behind a solid Defensive effort and opening a big lead through the middle of the Second Quarter in Game 2 will have just pumped up the Denver crowd and had the Nuggets perhaps thinking about a 2-0 lead to take onto the road.
Things changed and the Denver Nuggets were reminded how awkward this Minnesota Timberwolves team can be as the lower Seed battled back and made some big time buckets and late stops in the Fourth Quarter to steal away home court advantage.
Momentum is now with the Timberwolves, but they have been set as a narrow home underdog in Game 3 and that has not been a very good position for teams in that position in recent First Round Series. They will have to expect some adjustments made by a Denver team that are thinking NBA Championships this season, while Minnesota know they will go as far as Anthony Edwards can take them as he continues to operate on a banged up knee.
His numbers have been strong through both games in the Series, but in Game 2 Edwards got a bit more support from Julius Randle, while the Timberwolves just managed to hit a few more three pointers. That certainly helped Offensively, while they challenged the Denver Defense and managed to make a few more trips to the Free Throw line.
Increased intensity on the glass saw the Timberwolves pick up a couple more Offensive boards and they had a few more Rebounds in Game 2 compared with Game 1 and that adds up.
Now it is up to the Denver Nuggets to make adjustments having seen Nikola Jokic fail to dominate as much in Game 2 as the opener of this Series. He was supported by Jamal Murray, but this is a player who still missed eight more three pointers than he made and Denver need someone else to get going around the two top names on the roster.
The Nuggets only had 5 Offensive Rebounds in Game 2 and they will have to improve that if they are going to get this Series back into a positive position.
There will still be a real confidence in the Denver camp that they can do that and Game 3 is usually an opportunity for road teams who are carrying that expectation.
Nothing is going to come easy against a scrappy Timberwolves team, but the Nuggets are very experienced and can make the adjustments to bounce back from the Game 2 defeat immediately, while becoming the latest road team that covers in Game 3 when not being set as a relatively big underdog.
Prediction
Lay the points with the road favourite in an important Game 3 after the first two games were split in this First Round Series.
The Pick :
Minnesota Timberwolves 108-112 Denver Nuggets
