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HIMI

PRESEASON: MINENESOTA TIMBERWOLVES VS DENVER NUGGETS (OCT 4TH 2025)

by|daryl fongang OCT 8TH 2025

FINAL SC0RE: Minnesota 126 – Denver 116

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LINEUPS AND ROTATIONS


Minnesota’s starters (for this game) included Jaden McDaniels, Rudy Gobert, Naz Reid, Donte DiVincenzo, Rob Dillingham. Bench and younger players had extended run. 
 
Denver's Starting (For this game) included  Jamal Murray, Christian Braun, Cameron Johnson, Aaron Gordon, Nikola Jokić 

Denver gave some of their starters (Nikola Jokić, Jamal Murray) a half or limited minutes before turning to reserves. Context: The game was held in San Diego (neutral site) as part of Minnesota’s preseason opener. talk to me about denver lineups and rotations the same way you did for minessota

FINAL SCORE AND FLOW

Quarter breakdown:
 - Q1: MIN 40 – DEN 28 
 - Q2: MIN 32 – DEN 35 
 - Q3: MIN 24 – DEN 17 
 - Q4: MIN 30 – DEN 36 

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Shooting & efficiency:
 - Minnesota shot 51.1% (45/88) from the field 
 - Denver shot 54.7% (41/75) overall 
 - 3PT: Minnesota 15/30 (50.0%) vs Denver 11/28 (39.3%) 
 - Turnovers: MIN 11, DEN 16
 - Rebounds: MIN 41, DEN 37 
 - Points off turnovers: MIN 14, DEN 20 

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MINNESOTA OVERVIEW

Positives

Sharpshooting from deep: The Timberwolves knocked down 50% of their three-pointers, which is a fantastic sign early on. This kind of shooting spreads the floor and opens up driving lanes, giving them a much-needed offensive boost.

  • Bench contributions: With key guys like Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle sitting out, the bench stepped up and showed real promise. That kind of balance will be very important as the season progresses, especially if the starters need rest or deal with injuries.

  • Defensive stretches: Particularly in the third quarter, Minnesota locked in and held Denver to just 17 points. If they can bring that intensity consistently, their defense will be a huge asset.

  • Taking care of the ball: Limiting turnovers to just 11 against a team like Denver is impressive and speaks to their discipline on the court.
     

But some questions remain:

  • Will this sharpshooting stay consistent? Preseason percentages often look better than what we see in the regular season, so it’s something to monitor.

  • How quickly will the core guys like Edwards and Randle mesh on both ends when they return to full minutes?

  • The game wasn’t a blowout, Denver made runs, especially in the second and fourth quarters. So Minnesota still needs to work on maintaining consistency for a full 48 minutes.

  • Balancing load management will be a tightrope walk. Rest is important, but so is keeping rhythm and momentum.
     

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DENVER OVERVIEW

Positives to build on

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  • Even without all their stars fully engaged, Denver shot a solid 54.7% overall, showing the team’s offensive efficiency remains intact.

  • They showed some fight late, pushing hard in the fourth quarter, which is a good sign for closing out games.

  • The Nuggets’ system is experienced at integrating new players and adapting, so preseason is a perfect time to test lineups and experiment without pressure.

Areas that need work:

  • Their three-point shooting (39.3%) wasn’t bad, but it was too slow compared to Minnesota’s pace and volume, which could be a problem in a league that values spacing so much.

  • Turnovers were costly, they gave the ball away 16 times, leading to 20 points off turnovers for Minnesota. That kind of margin is tough to overcome in a close game.

  • The gap between starters and reserves showed. With Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray sitting much of the game, Denver’s bench struggled to keep pace.

  • Defensively, Denver needs to tighten up early in games. Minnesota got out to a big lead in the first and third quarters, which put the Nuggets on their heels.

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