Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Denver Nuggets
Date: November 15th, 2025
Time: 7:00 PM CST
Location: Target Center
Television Coverage: FanDuel Sports Network – North
Radio Coverage: Wolves App, iHeart Radio
Heading into this recent four-game “get-right” stretch against the Jazz and Kings, the mission was simple: stop screwing around and take care of business. Mission accomplished. Minnesota went 4–0, boosted its record to 8–4, and put itself in the driver’s seat for a spot in the NBA Cup tournament for the first time in franchise history.
Their +54 point differential in Cup play is the basketball version of running up the score in Madden. You don’t apologize for it; you frame it. You tell people it’s about “sending a message.” Because it is. If the Wolves take care of Phoenix next week and slap another double-digit win on the board, they’re almost guaranteed a wild card slot. It’s a great place to be, and an even better time to start finding out if this team is for real.
Because up next… comes the test.
The Denver Nuggets. The measuring stick. Nikola Jokic. The basketball version of Thanos: inevitable, inevitable, inevitable.
Let’s rewind. The last time these teams met, Anthony Edwards was out with a bum hamstring. No Ant meant no bite, and Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets cruised to an easy win. Denver snapped what you could technically call an eight-game losing streak to Minnesota (if you’re generous enough to count Summer League and preseason — and yes, we’re counting it).
Tonight, it’s Minnesota’s turn to punch back. The Wolves are healthy, hot, and riding real momentum. It’s the second night of a back-to-back, sure, but if this team’s trying to prove it belongs in the top tier of the West, these are the games you win.
1. Stop (or at Least Annoy) Nikola Jokic
This is like saying “just unplug Skynet.” Easier said than done. Jokic is the best player on the planet, a 6’11” Serbian savant who plays basketball like he’s running a chess simulation on God Mode.
But Tim Connelly didn’t build this Wolves roster by accident. He built it for this matchup. Minnesota has a literal army of bigs in Gobert, Julius Randle, Naz Reid, and even “break glass in case of emergency” rookie Joan Beringer, and all of them will get their turn as human speed bumps.
The goal isn’t to stop Jokic. Nobody stops him. The goal is to make him work. Make him pass, make him think, make him hit 12-foot floaters all night instead of wide-open cutters and three-point shooters. Let him pile up assists if you have to, but don’t let him play a one-man layup line. The Wolves’ bigs need to body up, wall off the paint, and trust the rotations behind them. Because when you let Jokic get comfortable, it’s lights out before halftime.
2. Value Every Possession
Last night’s win over the Kings was fun… eventually. For three quarters, it was also infuriating. The Wolves were careless. Sloppy passes and lazy dribbles led to turnovers that let Sacramento hang around far longer than they deserved.
That won’t fly tonight. Minnesota has to slow down, focus, and play controlled basketball. They don’t need perfection, but they do need poise. You can’t give a team like Denver freebies. Make them earn every point.
3. Win the Rebounding Battle
This one’s simple. Minnesota has size. Use it.
The Wolves actually out-muscle Denver on paper. Gobert, Randle, Naz equate to a ton of beef on the boards. But lately, Minnesota’s been prone to letting smaller, scrappier teams beat them to loose balls. You can’t let that happen tonight.
Jokic might be a finesse player, but he’s also a rebounding monster. The Wolves have to swarm the glass, limit second-chance points on defense and crash the offensive boards with fervor. Rebounding and turnovers are the two boring stats that decide 90% of games like this.
4. Win the Non-Jokic Minutes
This is where Minnesota can really make hay. Last year, Denver’s entire identity was “Jokic on the court: +15. Jokić off the court: -12.” This year, things are different. The Nuggets’ front office finally got him some help, particularly Jonas Valanciunas, who can hold things down while the three-time MVP takes a breather.
Still, that’s where the Wolves have to strike. When Jokić sits, attack relentlessly. Those minutes are the window to build a cushion, so when the Serbian Death Machine checks back in, you’ve got room to breathe.
Murray torched the Wolves last game. But… that was without Ant.
With Edwards back, this matchup swings. Between Ant, McDaniels, and Jaylen Clark, Minnesota has multiple guys who can hound Murray, frustrate him, and make him work for every shot. The blueprint is simple: live with Jokic’s greatness, but don’t let Murray get comfortable. When both of those guys are rolling, you’re toast. When one of them’s miserable? You’ve got a chance.
Yes, the Wolves have a Big Three. Ant, Julius Randle, and (say it with me) Jaden McDaniels.
Ant is the engine, the swaggering, fearless, force of nature who can turn a five-point deficit into a ten-point lead in two minutes. Randle’s the stabilizer, a bruising, playmaking forward who gives Minnesota a grown-man presence in the halfcourt. And McDaniels? He’s quietly becoming the third star this team has been searching for.
McDaniels has been attacking the rim this year, playing with confidence, and hitting threes at a career clip. When he’s assertive, the Wolves’ offense goes from “solid” to “unfair.” Big games from Jaden nearly always result in a win.
As I said at the start, Jokic is the NBA’s version of Thanos. The Wolves need to assemble their Avengers.
This isn’t just another regular-season game. It’s a litmus test.
The Wolves are fresh off a 4–0 stretch against inferior opponents. They’ve beaten who they were supposed to beat, which to be fair, is something this franchise has rarely done consistently. Now they get their biggest rivals and the best player on the planet, at home, on tired legs, with a chance to prove that the turnaround isn’t fool’s gold.
A win tonight would tie the season series 1–1, give the Wolves a signature victory, and send a message that the “same old Timberwolves” are finally dead.
A loss? Well… let’s just say we’ve seen that movie before.
But this time feels different. This team looks different.
If they can channel that for one more night — if Ant’s goes Tony Stark, the bigs do their job, and the turnovers stay low — the Wolves might just walk out of Target Center not just winners, but true contenders.
