Coach Michael Malone reveals his biggest concern about the Nuggets-Timberwolves series

The NBA announced game start times for the Denver Nuggets second round playoff matchup with the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday morning. Games 1 and 2 of the Western Conference Semifinals at Ball Arena will tip off at 5 p.m. on Saturday and 8 p.m. on Monday.

Then Games 3 and 4 will take place at the Target Center in Minneapolis on May 10 at 7:30 p.m. (Mountain Time) and May 12 at 6 p.m. (Mountain Time).

After practice on Thursday Denver players and coaches talked to the media. Point guard Jamal Murray, the hero of Games 2 and 5 in the first round against the Lakers, said both teams are very familiar with each other.

"We know what to expect, they know what to expect, and it's basically just who can go out there and give better energy and make fewer mistakes," said Murray.

Coach Michael Malone said he expects a strong showing on defense from the Timberwolves throughout the series.

"This is the No. 1 defense in the NBA. They get into you, they make you uncomfortable, they push you out on the floor and if we allow them to do that?" Malone said. "That's probably one of the biggest concerns of the series is how do we score against that team. They're long, they're athletic, they're versatile and they have a lot of good defensive players."

The Timberwolves defense is led by Rudy Gobert, who is a finalist for the Defensive Player of the Year award.

If necessary, Games 5 (in Denver), 6 (in Minnesota) and 7 (in Denver) would happen on May 14, 16 and 19.

Jesse Sarles

Jesse Sarles manages the content and operations for CBSColorado.com. He writes articles about Colorado news and sports in and around the Denver area.