Projected Timberwolves starting lineup against Nuggets in Game 1 of Western Conference first round series

The Minnesota Timberwolves will face off against the Denver Nuggets in game one of the first round of the Western Conference playoffs on Sunday evening. The first two games of this best-of-seven series will be played in Denver, with games three and four shifting to Minneapolis.

Minnesota went 2-2 against the Nuggets during the 2022-23 regular season, with the home team winning each matchup. Only one of the four games was a close contest.

When game one tips off on Sunday, the Timberwolves will still be without a few important rotation players. Here is what Minnesota’s starting lineup is expected to look like.

Projected Timberwolves starting lineup vs Nuggets:

• Mike Conley (26 starts for MIN)
• Anthony Edwards (81 starts for MIN)
• Taurean Prince (5 starts for MIN)
• Karl-Anthony Towns (31 starts for MIN)
• Rudy Gobert (71 starts for MIN)

Mike Conley enters his first playoff game with the Timberwolves ready to bring his 73 games of postseason experience with him. Minnesota is looking to become the first eight seed to knock off a one seed in the NBA playoffs in over a decade, and it is interesting to note that Conley was part of the last team to achieve that feat when the Grizzlies defeated the top-seeded Spurs in 2011.

Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert are coming off monster outings against the Thunder in the play-in, while Anthony Edwards looks to pick up where he left off in his last NBA playoffs. He is scoring 25.2 points and shooting 40.7% from three through his first six career games in the postseason.

The final starting spot would usually be occupied by Jaden McDaniels, but he remains out with a fractured hand. Against the Thunder, Chris Finch opted to go small and throw Nickeil Alexander-Walker into the starting lineup, but he will likely want to bring more size against Denver’s large bodies. Taurean Prince likely slides into the starting spot, allowing NAW and Kyle Anderson to head up the second unit.

Projected Nuggets starting lineup vs Timberwolves:

• Jamal Murray (65 starts for DEN)
• Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (76 starts for DEN)
• Michael Porter Jr. (62 starts for DEN)
• Aaron Gordon (68 starts for DEN)
• Nikola Jokic (69 starts for DEN)

The Timberwolves have been hampered by bad injury luck all season, but the Nuggets have had no such problem. All of their starters played at least 62 games in 2022-23, and many of the missed games came when they were resting players in March and April to gear up for the playoffs.

An offensive juggernaut powered by the unique skill of Nikola Jokic, Denver held the top spot in the West for most of the year. Over the course of the regular season, their starting lineup played the third-most minutes of any team in the league.

Denver’s starters will be fresh after having a week to rest since their last game. Meanwhile, Minnesota will be less than 48 hours removed from their play-in contest and will face an uphill battle from the start.