Minnesota found out exactly what life without Anthony Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo will be like, as Denver made the series 3-2.

Minnesota's often-critiqued center has his team on the cusp of a series win vs. Denver thanks to his defensive might.

Nikola Jokic recorded 27 points, 16 assists and 12 rebounds as the host Denver Nuggets stayed alive with a 125-113 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 5 of a first-round Western Conference playoff series on Monday.

Minnesota has a commanding 3-1 lead, but its first-round series against Denver is far from over.

Nikola Jokic returned to his best at the most critical moment for the Nuggets. The Serbian center posted a triple-double of 27 points, 16 assists and 12 rebounds, leading his team to a 125-113 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 5 of their playoff series Monday night in Denver.

Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves find themselves matched up with a familiar foe in Nikola Jokić and the Nuggets. Couch Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves find themselves matched up with a familiar foe in the Nuggets. • Download the NBA App The Denver Nuggets (54-28) earned the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference, and their reward is a first-round playoff series against the sixth-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves who won 49 games and reached the conference finals in 2024 and 2025. A fun series could unfold. Keep in mind: the Nuggets won the season series 3-1, and Denver’s Nikola Jokić was unstoppable. Here’s how to watch the Nuggets vs. Timberwolves series: All times Eastern Standard Time * = If necessary Oct. 27: Nuggets 127, Timberwolves 114 Nov. 15: Nuggets 123, Timberwolves 112 Health. You’ve heard it: Sometimes a team’s greatest ability is player availability. Timberwolves star guard Anthony Edwards missed 11 of the regular-season’s final 14 games with right knee issues/injury maintenance. Edwards was fantastic in the past two playoffs, leading the Timberwolves to the conference finals in 2024 and 2025. In 31 playoff games over those two seasons, he has averaged 26.5 points, 7.4 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 1.3 steals and shot 46.8% from the field and 37.6% on 3-pointers – with big-time minutes (39.8 per game) and usage rate (28.7). Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels missed six of the final nine regular-season games with left knee patella tendinopathy. The Nuggets dealt with injuries all season – Aaron Gordon’s 40 missed games with a right hamstring issue was the most prominent among those injuries. Cam Johnson missed 20-plus games with right knee problems, Peyton Watson sat out 20-plus games dealing with a right hamstring strain and three-time MVP Nikola Jokić missed 14 games with a bruised left knee and is dealing with injury management on his right wrist. The Nuggets tried to prioritize health and first-round home-court advantage for the playoffs and finished the regular season with a 12-game winning streak. Nuggets star Nikola Jokić’s dominance. You can argue that his production this season was as good as – or better than – some of his three MVP seasons. In 2025-26, Jokić averaged 27.7 points, 12.9 rebounds, 10.7 assists and 1.4 steals and shot 56.9% from the field, 37.9% on 3-pointers and 83.1% on free throws. He matched a career high in triple-doubles (34) and became the first player in NBA history to lead the league in assists and rebounds per game. He had it going in four games against the Timberwolves this season, averaging 35.8 points, 15 rebounds, 11.3 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.3 steals and masterful shooting splits of 65.3%/50%/93.2% in four contests. For Nuggets: Guard Jamal Murray had his best season, making the All-Star team for the first time. He averaged career-highs in points (25.4), assists (7.1), rebounds (4.4), shooting percentage (48.3%), three-point shooting (43.5%) and double-doubles (18). If you recall, Murray was phenomenal in the 2023 playoffs as the Nuggets collected their first championship. If the Nuggets get a combination of Murray this season and Murray in the 2023 playoffs, they are tough to beat. He also had success against Minnesota this season, scoring 31.5 points per game and shooting 43.6% on 3s. For Timberwolves: Sixth Man of the Year candidate Naz Reid, who won the award in 2023-2024, struggled with his shot in the final two months. His shooting percentage dropped from 46.9% before the All-Star break to 41.9% after and his 3-point shooting percentage tumbled from 38.5% to 27.8%. His rebounds and assists were slightly down, too. Minnesota needs his offense off the bench to help Edwards and Julius Randle. Defending the league’s No. 1 offense begins with trying to slow down its most lethal two-man game. According to tracking data, Jokić’s 894 ball-screens for Murray were the most that any player set for a single teammate. Jokić also had 453 handoffs to Murray, 165 more than any other combination in the league. The Nuggets scored an incredible 127.8 points per 100 possessions in their 1,706 minutes on the floor together. The Wolves had some success defending the Nuggets (allowing just 108.6 per 100) in Rudy Gobert’s 121 minutes on the floor in the regular-season series. But the Nuggets still won those minutes, and the Minnesota defense got torched when Gobert sat down. Nuggets in six. The Nuggets secured the No. 3 seed with strong play down the stretch, and with the league’s best offense, they can outscore any team. Jokić, Murray, health and a slightly better defense after the All-Star break give the Nuggets the advantage. Denver's superstar center is the 1st player to lead the NBA in assists and rebounds per game for a single season. The multi-part docuseries tips off April 11 on NBA TV and the NBA App, will feature behind-the-scenes access to the playoffs and the NBA Finals. Denver's superstar center is the 1st player to lead the NBA in assists and rebounds per game for a single season. The multi-part docuseries tips off April 11 on NBA TV and the NBA App, will feature behind-the-scenes access to the playoffs and the NBA Finals. The 2025-26 postseason bracket is locked after an epic regular-season finale. See how it all went down and what’s next Rivers steps down as Bucks' coach after 3 seasons Milwaukee is reportedly discussing what role Doc Rivers may have with the team after spending 3 seasons as its coach. Kevin Durant and the Rockets look to take advantage of a Los Angeles squad that could be without a pair of superstars. Jalen Brunson and the Knicks must fend off a challenge from the surging Hawks to return to the conference finals. An examination of the two top seeds, their paths, assets and concerns as they creep ahead to the 2026 playoffs.

And while their impacts on the upcoming first-round series, which starts Saturday in Denver, will go a long way toward determining who advances in the Western Conference playoffs, they won’t be alone.

They trail the Minnesota Timberwolves, another championship contender, 3-1 in a best-of-seven set. Except, the Wolves lost both Anthony Edwards (left knee) and Donte DiVincenzo (right Achilles) to injury over the course of Saturday’s 112-96 win.