Nuggets Beat Timberwolves as Jokic, Murray Take Game 1

Nuggets hold off Timberwolves in game 1 behind Jokic, Murray duo

Jokic posted 25 points, 13 rebounds, 11 assists and Murray added 30 to power Denver past Minnesota 116-105 in Game 1 of their Western Conference series.

Murray dropped 30 and Jokic recorded a triple-double as the Nuggets pulled away from the Timberwolves 116-105 in playoff opener...

Nikola Jokic recorded a 25-point triple-double and Jamal Murray poured in 30 to lift the Denver Nuggets past the Minnesota Timberwolves 116-105 in Saturday’s playoff opener.

Jokic finished with 13 rebounds and 11 assists. The three-time MVP had just six points at halftime but took over late as Denver pulled away from a 62-62 tie at the break.

With seven more playoff triple-doubles, Jokic would pass LeBron James’s 28 for second all-time. Magic Johnson tops the list with 30. He’s also two triple-doubles short of 222 career total between regular season and playoffs, which would put him ahead of Russell Westbrook’s 221.

NIKOLA JOKIĆ ARE YOU SERIOUS???

The crazy and-1 and the tip-in on back-to-back possessions to put Denver back up 7 🔥

Get to Prime for the end of Game 1! pic.twitter.com/sHwuVTxCyF

— NBA (@NBA) April 18, 2026

  

Murray did the heavy lifting early with 17 first-half points and was automatic from the stripe, going 16-for-16 on free throws.

Meeting for the third time in four postseasons, the teams opened with a physical contest at Ball Arena. Officials called more than 40 fouls, including a flagrant on Minnesota’s Jaden McDaniels and a technical on Denver coach David Adelman.

Denver fell behind by 12 in the first quarter, tightened up in the second, and took control after halftime.

Denver's dynamic duo delivers a Game 1 win!

Jamal Murray: 30 PTS, 5 REB, 7 AST
Nikola Jokić: 25 PTS, 13 REB, 11 AST

Game 2: Monday, 8pm/et, NBC & Peacock pic.twitter.com/GYRwpO0fPO

— NBA (@NBA) April 18, 2026

“I thought the second quarter was a much better defensive effort that really started trending into the second half,” Adelman said.

Anthony Edwards paced Minnesota with 22 points and Rudy Gobert posted 17 points and 10 rebounds, but the Timberwolves had no answer for Jokic.

“(Jokic) is such a patient player,” Adelman said. “Early, it was a lot of our guys making plays for each other, and as they changed their coverages, then he went to work.”

game two on Monday. pic.twitter.com/v7P3JJ2hBT

— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) April 18, 2026

  

Denver beat Minnesota in 2023 on its run to the NBA title, then lost to them the next year. The Nuggets will look to go up 2-0 when they host Game 2 of the best-of-seven Western Conference series Monday.