Nuggets Open as Heavy Favorites vs. Timberwolves in Round One

The Denver Nuggets are walking into their first round matchup vs. the Minnesota Timberwolves as some pretty heavy favorites.

According to odds from DraftKings Sportsbook, the Nuggets are -360 favorites to win their first round series against the Timberwolves.

As for the Timberwolves, they're sitting at +290 odds to come away with a series victory.

Of the confirmed four first-round matchups before the Play-In takes place, they're the third-most heavily favored team taking the stage, with the New York Knicks being the least-heavily favored of the bunch in their series against the Atlanta Hawks.

Nuggets' Favorable Odds vs. Timberwolves Make a Lot of Sense

It's easy to see why the Nuggets come in as such steep favorites against the Timberwolves, despite Minnesota still remaining a force to be reckoned with in the Western Conference.

The Nuggets are catching their stride at the right time, considering they're in the middle of a 12-game winning streak to close out the year, most of their key rotational pieces are healthy or getting healthy as the series kicks off this weekend, and in Denver's time playing against Minnesota in their season series, they've had their way with them thus far.

The Nuggets are 3-1 against the Timberwolves in their four matchups this season, with that only loss coming from their March 1st outing when Aaron Gordon and Peyton Watson were still injured and out of the lineup, leading to an all-around offensive effort to help lift Minnesota towards that lone season victory.

Mar 1, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert (27) defends on Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) in the second half at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Now, thankfully, Aaron Gordon has returned to 100%, that gives the Nuggets a huge lift on both ends of the floor in this series and onwards, and signs should be pointing towards a Watson return being soon on the horizon after the breakout forward had re-aggravated his previous hamstring injury.

If that health can be on the Nuggets' side, and their offense can continue clicking as it has through their past month of action on the floor, Denver's ceiling is sky-high as long as Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray sustain their All-NBA play they've shown all season long.

And against a squad such as Minnesota, who hasn't been as consistent following their All-Star break (15-11 overall record since), the Nuggets could pose some major trouble for Chris Finch’s game plan.

Don't expect the odds to be trending in the Nuggets' favor for long in this year's postseason slate, especially as Denver continues to get deeper into the tough Western Conference where they might be tasked against the top-two seeded OKC Thunder and/or the San Antonio Spurs.

But, at least as it relates to their round one showing against the Timberwolves, the consensus seems to be leaning in one clear direction for who will be the ones advancing to the semifinals.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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