By Thomas Quaynor for Wannamakeabet.com
The NBA’s Christmas Day slate presents a matchup of heated division rivals as the Minnesota Timberwolves (20-10) visit the Denver Nuggets (21-8) at Ball Arena on ABC/ESPN. The teams are meeting for a third time already on the young season. Denver picked up a pair of double-digits wins in Minnesota — winning 127-114 on Oct. 27 and 123-112 on Nov. 15. They’ll square off for a final time on March 1.
Denver had lost six in a row against Minnesota prior to beating them this season. The six-game losing streak began in the 2024 Western Conference Semifinals when Minnesota won the final two games of the series to upset the defending NBA champion Nuggets 4-3. Minnesota won all four games against Denver last season.
Denver is a 3-point favorite and the total is 239.5.
WHAT BOTH TEAMS DID IN THEIR PREVIOUS GAME
Minnesota knocked off the short-handed New York Knicks 115-104 at home on Tuesday night. It was the first time Minnesota beat former All-Star teammate Karl-Anthony Towns. The superstar big man spent his first NBA 9 seasons (2016-2024) with Minnesota before he was unexpectedly traded to the New York Knicks shortly before the 2024-25 season in October 2024.
New York routed Minnesota 133-107 in Karl-Anthony Towns’ first trip back to Minnesota last season. He amassed 33 points and 20 rebounds in that win. Towns scored a season-high 40 points (14-24 FG, 3-6 3Pt, 9-11 FT) and grabbed 13 rebounds in Tuesday’s loss. The Knicks were without their All-NBA guard Jalen Brunson.
Anthony Edwards scored a team-high 28 points (15-27 FG, 4-10 3Pt, 4-6 FT) and matched a season-high with four steals in the win. Julius Randle added 25 points (10-20 FG, 0-4 3Pt, 5-5 FT) and six rebounds for Minnesota.
Denver dropped a tough 131-130 decision at Dallas on Tuesday night. The Nuggets rallied from a 21-point deficit (50-29) early in the second quarter and took their first lead (106-103) early in the fourth quarter. They had a chance to win the game in the closing seconds, but Peyton Watson’s three-pointer rimmed out at the buzzer.
Denver’s All-World big man Nikola Jokic compiled 29 points (12-22 FG, 5-10 3Pt), 14 assists, 7 rebounds and 4 steals across 36 minutes in the loss. Jamal Murray registered a team-high 31 points (12-21 FG, 3-7 3Pt, 4-4 FT), 14 assists, 7 rebounds and a steal in 37 minutes. Tim Hardaway Jr. provided 23 points (8-13 FG, 7-12 3Pt) over 29 minutes off the bench.
GAME STORYLINES: MINNESOTA
In the summer of 2007, the Minnesota Timberwolves traded stalwart superstar forward Kevin Garnett to the Boston Celtics. Garnett was an exceptional player for 12 seasons (1996-2007) with Minnesota but played on mostly unremarkable squads, which probably made it easier for the Timberwolves to part ways with the Hall of Famer. The loss of Garnett devastated the franchise as they would go on to endure ten straight losing seasons and make one playoff appearance (2017) over the next 15 seasons.
Through the 15 years of misery, Minnesota was able to land the No. 1 overall pick in 2015 and 2020. They selected Kentucky’s Karl-Anthony Towns in 2015, and Georgia’s Anthony Edwards in 2020. Both players lived up to and exceeded the expectations of being selected No. 1 overall. Towns and Edwards quickly elevated Minnesota into perennial playoff participants and an elite team in the Western Conference.
Over the last four seasons, Minnesota experienced sustained levels of success never seen before in the franchise’s 36-year history. In October 2024, they traded superstar big man Karl-Anthony Towns after winning 56 games and advancing to the Western Conference Finals for the first time in 20 years. Even without Towns, they made another run to the Western Conference last season behind the heroics of superstar guard Anthony Edwards.
The ascension of Anthony Edwards into superstardom is the key reason for Minnesota’s strong showings over the past two seasons. Edwards has led Minnesota to back-to-back Conference Finals appearances in the stacked Western Conference. The Timberwolves have won four playoff series in the last 2 seasons. They won a total of 2 playoff series over their first 34 years (1990-2023) years of existence. Edwards has a career postseason scoring average of 26.9 points per game in 42 career playoff games.
The 24-year-old, three-time All-Star Anthony Edwards continues to perform at an elite level again this season in year six. He’s averaging a career-high 28.7 points along with 5 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.3 steals and 2.9 threes while shooting 49 percent from the floor and 40.4 percent from long distance across 23 games. Edwards is on pace to increase his scoring average for a sixth straight season.
The foursome of three-time All-Star forward Julius Randle (22.6 ppg, 7.2 rebs, 5.5 asts, 1.1 stls, 48.2% from 2 in 30 gms), versatile swingman Jaden McDaniels (15 ppg, 4.6 rebs, 1.1 stls, 0.9 blks, 49.5% from 2, 40% from 3 in 28 gms), imposing center Rudy Gobert (11.5 ppg, 11.1 rebs, 1.5 blks, 73.1% from 2 in 30 gms) and sharpshooting sixth man Naz Reid (13.7 ppg, 6.3 rebs, 1.1 stls, 0.9 blks, 2.3 threes in 30 gms) provide excellent production alongside Anthony Edwards.
Minnesota made headlines during the week when they added Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett as a Team Ambassador. He’ll focus on fan experiences, community work, and storytelling. In his 12 prime years (1996-2007) with Minnesota, Garnett made 10 All-Star appearances and won the 2004 NBA MVP Award. At the age of 38, Garnett rejoined Minnesota for two seasons in 2015 and 2016 to close out his Hall of Fame career.
GAME STORYLINES: DENVER
During the 2014 NBA draft, the Denver Nuggets used their second-round pick (No. 41) to select a relatively unknown center out of Serbia named Nikola Jokic. The fact that Jokic spent what would have been his rookie season (2014-15) playing overseas for Mega Basket instead of the Nuggets made it seem as if he was an afterthought. But Jokic joined the Denver Nuggets for the 2015-16 season and the rest is history.
Since entering the NBA for the 2015-16 season, Nikola Jokic has gone on to become one of the greatest players in NBA history. His accolades include 3 NBA MVP Awards (2021, 2022, 2024), 1 NBA Finals MVP and 7 All-NBA/ All-Star Selections over his 9 seasons. Jokic led Denver to the franchise’s only NBA title in 2023.
The 30-year-old Nikola Jokic continues to amass extraordinary numbers again in 2025-26. He’s averaging 28.9 points, 12 rebounds, 10.9 assists, 1.5 steals and 2.1 threes while shooting 60.4 percent from the field and 43.1 percent from beyond the arc across 29 games. Jokic is averaging a triple-double for a second straight season. He became the third player in NBA history (Oscar Robertson and Russell Westbrook) to average a triple-double for an entire season last year.
The mainstay duo of star scoring guard Jamal Murray (25.1 ppg, 6.9 asts, 4.4 rebs, 1.1 stls, 3.4 threes, 49.9% from 2, 45.7 from 3 in 28 gms) and athletic combo forward Aaron Gordon (18.8 ppg, 5.9 rebs, 2.2 threes, 53.2% from 2, 44.4% from 3 in 13 gms), along with veteran newcomer Tim Hardaway Jr. (12.7 ppg, 2.7 threes, 46.8% from 2, 42.5% from 3 in 29 gms) are playing well in support of Nikola Jokic. Gordon was averaging a career-high in points per game before going down with a hamstring strain at Houston on Nov. 21. He’s expected back in early January.
Despite the individual greatness of Nikola Jokic and a terrific supporting cast, Denver has not advanced past the second round of the playoffs over the past two seasons since winning the title in 2023. They fired head coach Mike Malone towards the end of last season due to an alleged rift with General Manager Calvin Booth — who was fired along with Malone. Denver prioritized defense in the offseason by adding players like Cam Johnson, Jonas Valanciunas and Bruce Brown.
The offseason defensive additions are still a work in progress as Denver ranks in the middle of the pack in most defensive categories. They also suffered a significant blow when Cam Johnson (11.7 ppg, 3.6 rebs, 46% from 2, 42.9% from 3 in 28 gms) went down with a bone bruise in his right knee during Tuesday’s loss at Dallas. ESPN reports that Johnson is expected to miss “some time” because of the injury. Denver still boasts one of the top offenses in the NBA behind the high-scoring duo of Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray.
THE PICK: TIMBERWOLVES (+3)
Minnesota had Denver’s number before losing both games against them this season. I think they revert back to their dominant ways against a banged-up Denver squad in this Christmas night matchup. The Timberwolves have also won 10 of their last 12 heading into today’s contest. Take the Points and the Timberwolves.