Minnesota Timberwolves vs Denver Nuggets Prediction, 4/18/2026 Preview and Pick

Game: Minnesota Timberwolves vs Denver Nuggets

Date: Saturday, April 18, 2026

Location: Ball Arena in Denver, CO

TV: Prime Video

Odds/Point Spread: Minnesota (+6.0)

Ball Arena is the location where the Denver Nuggets (54-28) will go up against the Minnesota Timberwolves (49-33) on Saturday in Game 1 of their Western Conference 1st round series. Minnesota opens this game as 6.0-point underdogs from Vegas oddsmakers. The total has been set at 231.

The Timberwolves took the court against the Pelicans and went home with a win by a final score of 132-126 in their last contest. In reference to fouls, the Timberwolves ended up finishing with 27 while the Pelicans recorded 28 fouls. They converted 5 of their 21 shots from downtown. New Orleans walked away from this one shooting 81.6% from the free throw line by making 31 of their 38 shots. In addition, New Orleans snagged 52 rebounds (20 offensive, 32 defensive) and had 13 blocked shots. New Orleans recorded 20 dimes and had 9 steals for this contest. In regard to defending, Minnesota let their opponent shoot 42.1% from the field on 45 of 107 shooting. They also doled out 32 assists in this matchup in addition to forcing 9 turnovers and having 5 steals. In regard to pulling down rebounds, they collected a total of 47 with 12 of them being offensive. When they shot from the free throw line, the Timberwolves buried 32 of their 43 shots for a percentage of 74.4%. Minnesota ended the game having earned a 50.6% field goal percentage (45 of 89) and made 10 out of their 37 shots from beyond the perimeter.

Terrence Shannon Jr. is one guy who was a major factor in this matchup. He totaled 26 points on 6 out of 18 shooting. He played 35 minutes and also totaled 4 boards. Shannon Jr. shot 33.3% from the floor and also totaled 5 assists.

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Minnesota heads into this matchup with a win-loss mark of 49-33 for the campaign. They currently have an average of 118.0 points per game (7th in the league) while hitting 48.1% from the field. The Timberwolves are hitting 37.0% from downtown (1,128 of 3,049) and 75.2% from the charity stripe. As a team, Minnesota is snagging 44.1 boards per game and is sitting with 2,138 dimes so far this year, which has them ranked 16th in the league in terms of passing the ball. They cough up possession 14.8 times per game and as a team are committing 21.2 fouls per contest.

When they are on the defensive end, the Timberwolves are forcing their opponents into 15.0 turnovers per game while drawing 20.5 fouls. They are conceding 35.5% on 3-point attempts and they are 12th in the league in points per game from their opponents (114.6). The Timberwolves defense is allowing an opponent shooting percentage of 46.2% (3,395 of 7,352) and they relinquish 43.7 rebounds per game as a basketball team. They currently rank 10th in basketball in giving up assists with 2,136 surrendered so far this season.

The last time they took the hardwood, the Nuggets went home victorious with a score of 128-118 when they played the Spurs. The Nuggets recorded 39 defensive rebounds and 19 offensive boards for a total of 58 in this matchup. They also coughed up the ball 12 times, while getting 4 steals for the matchup. The Spurs committed 18 personal fouls in the game which took the Nuggets to the free throw line for 22 attempts. They were able to make 17 of the free throw attempts for a clip of 77.3%. When talking about shots from downtown, Denver made 11 of 30 tries (36.7%). In all, the Nuggets finished the game shooting 50 out of 100 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 50.0%. The Nuggets permitted the Spurs to bury 45 of 99 tries from the field which gave them a rate of 45.5% in this game. They went 31.9% from distance by connecting on 15 out of 47 and ended up shooting 13 out of 18 at the free throw line (72.2%). In relation to rebounds, Denver permitted San Antonio to collect 45 in all (14 on the offensive side).

Julian Strawther ended up having an impact for the Nuggets in the game. Strawther tallied 25 points in his 34 mins of playing time and had 3 assists in the game. He converted 9 out of 19 for the contest for a rate of 47.4%, and totaled 6 rebounds.

Denver has a record of 54-28 for the year. When it comes to offensive execution, the Nuggets are connecting on 49.6% from the floor, which ranks 2nd in the NBA. Denver has accounted for 10,010 pts so far this year (122.1 per contest) and they average 44.0 boards per contest. They are dishing out assists 29.0 times per game (4th in the NBA) and they are turning it over 12.9 times per contest. The Nuggets have committed 19.1 fouls every game while shooting 80.8% from the charity stripe.

The Nuggets defensively are ranked 21st in the NBA in points allowed per contest with 116.9. They are forcing 11.8 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 46.8% from the floor (13th in the league). The Denver defense allows 34.9% on shots from 3-point land (1,119 of 3,208) and their opponents are knocking down 77.1% of their shots from the free throw line. They have conceded 27.5 assists and 42.8 boards every game, ranking them 20th and 9th in the NBA.

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Denver (-6.0)

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