Timberwolves gameday

at Denver Nuggets, 8 p.m. Friday

TV; radio: BSN; iHeartRadio app

Pregame reading: The bombshell Thursday was the collapse of the Wolves sale.

Stats and analytics: Tap here.

Chris Hine's preview:

Opening bell: The Nuggets (51-22) are a half-game ahead of the Wolves (50-22) and the Thunder in the battle for the top seed in the Western Conference, so the head-to-head meeting will give the Wolves a chance to be kings for a day again.

Watch him: Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (26.1 points, 12.2 rebounds, nine assists per game) is likely to win his third MVP award after leading Denver to the NBA championship in 2023. NBA.com reports Jokic will be the second player in league history to average at least 25/12/8 since Oscar Robertson in 1962. Jokic leads the league in touches and his team has 19.7 points per 100 possessions with him on the floor.

Injuries: For the Wolves, Karl-Anthony Towns (knee) is out, and Anthony Edwards (back) and Rudy Gobert (ribs) are questionable. For the Nuggets, Jamal Murray (ankle) is questionable and Jokic (hip/back) is probable.

Forecast: There should be a lot of intensity in this game; the teams meet only once more this season (April 10 in Denver) and there is a lot at stake. As always, it likely comes down to a team's ability to limit Jokic's effectiveness, but Denver has other weapons and should be the slight favorite in this game at home.

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