The Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets open their first-round series Saturday night at Ball Arena with both teams dealing with rotation uncertainty. The biggest name on the injury report is Anthony Edwards, who is listed as questionable with a right knee injury maintenance designation.
Edwards remains Minnesota’s clear focal point, averaging 28.8 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game during the 2025-26 regular season. His availability would shape everything from shot creation to late-game spacing for a Timberwolves team that finished the season with a 49-33 record.
Minnesota is also without three two-way players in Enrique Freeman, Zyon Pullin and Rocco Zikarsky, though those absences are not expected to affect the main playoff rotation. The focus remains on Edwards and whether he can handle a heavy workload in Game 1.
Denver enters the opener with one starter-level concern of its own. Spencer Jones is questionable with a right hamstring strain, while Peyton Watson has been ruled out with a right hamstring strain.
Watson’s absence matters on the wing because he averaged 14.6 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game, giving Denver length, transition defense and energy across multiple positions. If Jones is limited, the Nuggets lose another versatile body in a series that figures to demand size and switchability.
The rest of Denver’s core is available, which keeps the pressure on Minnesota to defend Jokic-Murray pick-and-roll actions without overextending Edwards. Jokic finished the regular season with 27.7 points, 12.9 rebounds and 10.7 assists per game, while Murray averaged 25.4 points and 7.1 assists.
The season series offers another layer of context. Denver won three of the four meetings, including all three matchups at Target Center, while Minnesota’s lone win came on March 1 in Denver.
