These Conference Semifinals series have included excellent basketball across the board. The vast majority of the series are being extremely competitive, and the one between the Timberwolves and Nuggets has been no exception. With this game taking place on Sunday, May 19th, we analyze the other side of the match, and see how the Wolves stand.

Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Denver Nuggets

This series has been quite satisfying to witness, however, as we said, it is becoming harder and harder to predict the outcome. The Wolves managed to show complete dominance in three games so far this series, but so did the Denver Nuggets.

Neither of the past six games has had a close result scoring-wise, but the series has been very equal overall. So far, the Timberwolves have tallied 103.5 Points, 42.2 Points, and 25.3 Rebounds per game in the series.

Timberwolves Historic Run

Player to Watch: Anthony Edwards

Series Average: 29.7 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 5.5 APG, 55.1 FG%, 41.5 3P%

Despite the factors playing against them in this preview of Game 7, the Wolves are still very much alive and can upset the current favorites and champions, the Denver Nuggets. This team, when working correctly, is nearly flawless. Their physicality, hunger, effectiveness, and overall momentum have been nearly unmatched throughout half of this series, especially in games 2 and 6, where the Nuggets were completely shadowed by them in all aspects.

Their stars, Anthony Edwards, Karl Anthony-Towns, Naz Reid, and Rudy Gobert have all stepped up in their respective roles. Of course, the performance to follow and the one that stands out is Anthony Edwards’. The young superstar is showing incredible maturity, leadership, and extreme confidence, which boil down to otherworldly performances from him across the board, and influencing their teammates with his winning mentality. Defensively, they had a superior performance, more specifically in defensive rebounding, and shot blocking.

On the other hand, the Wolves lack two important things prior to this matchup. One of them is playmaking, not necessarily due to a lack of it, but rather a gap between theirs and Denver’s, which has simply been better. Lastly, and perhaps the most important one, is the lack of playoff experience. Against the current NBA champions, this is uncharted territory for Minnesota. While it may not be a differential factor when deciding the winner of the series, it is generally an indicator of it.

Can They Take the Win?

Having said this, the Wolves can definitely surpass all expectations and prove predictions wrong, just like they have done throughout the 2024 NBA playoffs. Having the necessary hardware, this roster is undoubtedly capable of taking the win and clinching their spot in the Western Conference Finals.

text sources: nba.com, basketball-reference.com