After months of waiting, the 2023 NBA Playoffs are officially off and running. Some series already have two games in the books, which means crucial Game 3s are approaching. With the Minnesota Timberwolves set to host the Denver Nuggets on Friday at Target Center, it means it is time for some Timberwolves Game 3 bold predictions.
Minnesota went 42-40 in the regular season and finished at No. 8 in the Western Conference. This was four fewer wins than it had in 2021-22. After losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in overtime of the play-in tournament opener, the Timberwolves officially clinched the final playoff spot in the West by defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder 120-95.
On the other side of the series, Denver finished the regular season with a 53-29 record, securing the top seed in the Western Conference for the first time in franchise history. This also represented a five-win improvement compared to last year.
In Game 1 on Sunday, the Nuggets dominated at home with a 109-80 victory. Denver won Wednesday's Game 2 122-113, surviving a furious second-half run from the Wolves led by Anthony Edwards. As the series shifts to Target Center, Minnesota has its best—and likely last—chance to stay competitive against the top seed in the West.
With that being said, here are some bold predictions for the Minnesota Timberwolves for their Game 3 of the first round versus the Denver Nuggets on Friday.
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3. Minnesota holds Jamal Murray or Nikola Jokic to less than 20 points
One thing the Timberwolves must pay extra care to for the remainder of this series is stopping the Nuggets on offense. More specifically, Minnesota needs to contain both Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray in Game 3.
In the regular season, Jokic nearly averaged a triple-double with 24.5 points, 11.8 rebounds and 9.8 assists per game. He shot 63.2% from the field, 38.3% from the 3-point line and 82.2% on his free-throw attempts. Most notably, he also led the league with 29 triple-doubles.
For his performances, the Joker became a finalist for the MVP award. The last time a player won three consecutive NBA MVP trophies was Larry Bird from 1984-86.
So far in the postseason, Jokic is putting up 20 points, 11.5 boards and 7.5 assists on 52-33-58 shooting splits.
After missing the entire 2021-22 season recovering from an ACL injury, Murray returned to the court in October. In 65 games during the regular season, he put up 20 points, 6.2 assists and 4.0 rebounds on 45-40-83 shooting splits.
In Game 2 of the series, Murray went off with 40 points on 13-for-22 shooting, including six three-pointers.
The bold prediction is that Minnesota will be able to keep one of Murray and Jokic to less than 20 points. While limiting both would be ideal, just keeping one of the Nuggets stars in check would make a massive difference for Minnesota.
2. Karl-Anthony Towns has his best game of the series so far
After struggling in the play-in tournament and Game 1, Anthony Edwards reminded the basketball world on Wednesday why he could be a future superstar. In Game 2, he had a game-high 41 points on 14-for-23 shooting while making six 3-pointers. He also had four assists, three blocks and two steals in the contest.
Edwards is averaging 29.5 points, 4.5 assists and 2.0 rebounds plus 2.0 steals and 2.0 blocks over the first two games of the series. The Georgia product is shooting 52.6% from the field, 50% from beyond the arc and 85.7% from the free-throw line.
While Edwards has found his footing, the same cannot be said for Karl-Anthony Towns. The big man is recording only 10.5 points while making 29.6% of his field goals and 25% of his 3-point attempts. Those numbers are considerably down from his 20.8 points on 49.5% shooting from the field and 36.6% from beyond the arc in the regular season.
With so much at stake on Friday, Minnesota needs everything it can get from Towns. Should he perform closer to what he did in the past, the team will have a much better chance of getting its first victory in the series.
The bold prediction is that Towns will have his best game of the series so far in Game 3. Whether it is grabbing many rebounds or being efficient from the field, he should be a game-changer for the first time in these playoffs.
1. Timberwolves make it a 10-point game
Even with Edwards going off in Game 2, it is difficult to ignore how well the Nuggets have been in this postseason. They opened a comfortable lead in Game 1 and kept it, and despite allowing a big run in Game 2, still managed to secure the win.
Denver is the favorite to win the contest, according to FanDuel, . Currently, the spread is only -2.5. This means Wednesday's game should be closer than the previous ones.
One thing that could help the Timberwolves is playing from the friendly confines of Target Center. In the regular season, Minnesota defeated multiple contenders at home, including two wins of the Nuggets.
The bold prediction is that Minnesota will keep Game 3 close. Expect it to be at most a 10-point game by the final buzzer. Since no team in NBA history has ever overcome a 3-0 deficit, this is a must-win for the Timberwolves and perhaps their best chance of turning things around.
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