Start Time Set for Timberwolves-Nuggets Game 6 on Thursday Night

It'll be another late start in this series, although not quite as late as Games 2 and 5.

Apr 25, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Mike Conley (10) celebrates with fans as he makes a three-point shot against the Denver Nuggets in the fourth quarter at Target Center. | Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

The start time has been set for Game 6 between the Timberwolves and Nuggets on Thursday night. It'll be a scheduled 8:30 p.m. central time start, which — as fans have probably come to know — realistically means a tip-off somewhere in the 8:42-8:52 range.

That's another late start for Wolves fans in Minnesota, although it's at least an hour earlier than Games 2 and 5 in Denver, which started at around 9:50 p.m. central.

The game will be televised on ESPN, with the broadcast crew not yet announced. It'll be the second half of an ESPN doubleheader, with Game 6 of the Knicks-Hawks series (New York leads 3-2) starting at around 6 p.m. CT in Atlanta. The 76ers will also host the Celtics (who lead 3-2) in a Game 6 that evening on Peacock, making it a busy night of NBA action.

It'll also be a busy night in the Twin Cities. Across the river from Wolves-Nuggets, the Minnesota Wild will host the Dallas Stars in a Game 6 in St. Paul. Both the Timberwolves and Wild, who took a 3-2 series lead on Tuesday night in Dallas, will have a chance to advance to the second round if they can deliver in their home arena. That would make for quite the night for Minnesota sports fans.

Can the Wolves get it done?

After taking a 3-1 lead on Saturday night, the Timberwolves squandered their first of three chances to close out the series on Monday in Denver. They turned the ball over 25 times and fell behind by as many as 27 points before ultimately losing by 12 as Denver extended its season.

The Wolves were without Anthony Edwards (knee) and Donte DiVincenzo (Achilles) in Game 5, which will remain the case for the rest of the series. Edwards is out multiple weeks, while DiVincenzo's season is over. Nonetheless, it was still a somewhat disappointing effort from Minnesota, given that the Nuggets were without Aaron Gordon (calf) and Peyton Watson (hamstring).

With Edwards sidelined, the Nuggets are now slight betting favorites to win this series despite needing two more victories to advance. Denver is currently favored by 5.5 points on the road in Thursday's game. If the Nuggets win that one, they'll presumably be favored by 10-12 points again in Game 7, which makes Game 6 a massive one for head coach Chris Finch and the Wolves.

The Timberwolves don't seem too worried. They believe that if they take care of the basketball, they'll have a good shot to win at home for the third time this series.

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