T'wolves at Nuggets Game 1 picks, odds: Second round of playoffs starts with a fun one

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The Denver Nuggets had the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference essentially locked up. All they had to do was defeat the San Antonio Spurs and Memphis Grizzlies to finish the regular season.

Oops.

Maybe, as defending champs, they wanted to make things more difficult, just for the challenge of it all. Regardless, the Nuggets now have to face the No. 3 seed Minnesota Timberwolves in what has the makings of a tough, competitive series.

The Timberwolves finished 42-40 two seasons ago while getting lambasted for paying so much to acquire Rudy Gobert. They finished 56-26 this season, ultimately just one game behind the Nuggets. The Timberwolves boasted the top-rated defense during the regular season, mainly because of the presence of Gobert.

Now the two giants will face off in the Western Conference semifinals. Here's a look at Saturday's Game 1 with odds, staff picks and a preview.

All odds from BetMGM. Find the best deals on StubHub for tickets.

No. 3 Minnesota Timberwolves at No. 2 Denver Nuggets

How to watch: 7 p.m. ET on TNT

Series odds: Nuggets -190, Timberwolves +155

With two first-round series wrapping up on Thursday, Game 1 gets primetime standalone treatment for the second round of the playoffs. Denver enters the series as the favorite to advance and is favored in Game 1.

During the regular season, the Timberwolves boasted the league's best defense and the 17th-rated offense. In terms of net rating, they were third. The Nuggets had the eighth-rated defense and the fifth offense, good for the fourth-best net rating.

The teams played four games head-to-head during the regular season, two at home and two on the road. Jamal Murray missed one of those, and Karl-Anthony Towns missed three. The only game in which both teams were at full strength was the Nov. 1 matchup that Minnesota won, 110-89. Michael Porter Jr. shot 2-of-11 in that one. Fun fact: the winner of each game had the most fast break points.

Both teams boast a dynamic duo. Denver has Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray while Minnesota has Anthony Edwards and Towns. The role players for Denver are more offensive-oriented, complementing Jokić, while the role players for Minnesota are more defensive-oriented.

Minnesota was 26-15 on the road during the regular season, tied for the third-best mark in the NBA. Denver was 33-8 at home, tied for the second-best mark in the NBA.

This will be a fascinating series.

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 (Photo of Nikola Jokić: Ronald Martinez / Getty Images)