2023 NBA Playoffs: Minnesota Timberwolves Round 1 Playoff schedule

For the first time in 17 NBA seasons, the Minnesota Timberwolves are in the NBA Playoffs for the second consecutive season. And while there are already those who would love to portray the Timberwolves as foolish squanderers of their players and picks, it was quite clear from their performance in Game 3 of the NBA Play-In Tournament that this is not a team that is content just to get to postseason competition

The Minnesota Timberwolves last enjoyed back-to-back appearances in the NBA Playoffs in the 2002-2003 and 2003-2004 seasons. Since then, the Timberwolves’ lone NBA Playoffs appearance occurred after the 2017-18 NBA season.

This season, the Timberwolves have to face the best in the west, meaning that their opponent in Round 1 of the NBA Playoffs is the NBA Western Conference top-seeded team, the Denver Nuggets. While the Nuggets finished the season with a record of 53-29, they played the Minnesota Timberwolves (42-40) to a draw, as both teams won two of their four scheduled games.

The schedule for Round 1 of the NBA Playoffs is already set. The best of seven series will occur as follows:

Denver Nuggets (1) vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (8)

Game 1: Sunday, April 16 at Denver, 9:30 p.m. CT (TNT)
Game 2: Wednesday, April 19 at Denver, 9 p.m. CT (TNT)
Game 3: Friday, April 21 at Minnesota, 8:30 p.m. CT (ESPN)
Game 4: Sunday, April 23 at Play-In Winner, 8:30 p.m. CT (TNT)
Game 5*: Tuesday, April 25 at Denver
Game 6*: Thursday, April 27 at Minnesota
Game 7*: Saturday, April 29 at Denver (TNT)

*If needed

Timberwolves wall passes its first test

Despite all of the articles recently that have already proclaimed the Minnesota Timberwolves trade for center Rudy Gobert among the worst trades in NBA history, there was no buyer’s remorse in the Timberwolves’ Game 3 of the NBA Play-In Tournament. On the contrary, both center Rudy Gobert and power forward Karl-Anthony Towns put up double-doubles, and both big men scored over 20+ points in their victory.

The High Wall defense of the Minnesota Timberwolves seemed to pass its first test. Not only did the Timberwolves score almost at will, but the Timberwolves held the Thunder to their lowest scoring effort against them of their five matches.

The Timberwolves have not had a large number of games to work on their High Wall, but it was clear that they may be onto something.

We’ll dive in a bit more deeply soon but just keep on your radar that it was the Utah Jazz who pushed the Denver Nuggets to a buzzer-beater in Game 7 in Round 1 of the 2020 NBA Playoffs. PG Mike Conley Jr. and C Rudy Gobert played for the Utah Jazz that season.