Nuggets coach Michael Malone lamented the only downside of the No. 1 seed was that Denver wouldn’t know who it’d meet in the first round until late Friday night.
With only one day to prepare before Sunday’s Game 1 at 8:30 p.m. in Denver, familiarity shouldn’t be an issue.
The Minnesota Timberwolves knocked off the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder, 120-95, on Friday night to claim the No. 8 seed and secure a date against the top-seeded Nuggets.
A Northwest Division rival, that’s only the start of the shared history between the two franchises. Most notably, former Nuggets president Tim Connelly left Denver last offseason to run the Timberwolves’ franchise.