PREVIEW: The Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets lock horns in Game 1 of the first-round series at Ball Arena on Saturday, with tipoff at 3:30 p.m. ET. The Timberwolves finished the regular season in sixth place in the Western Conference standings with a 49-33 record, while the Nuggets finished in third place with a 54-28 record. The Nuggets rank first in efficient three-point shooting and boast low turnovers, establishing themselves as a relentless half-court operation, while Minnesota has constructed a roster that allows few three-point attempts on defense and maintains average post-up frequency. The two teams matched up four times in the regular season, with the Nuggets winning the season series 3-1, though the Timberwolves claimed the most recent matchup on March 1 with a 117-108 victory. The Timberwolves' biggest concern heading into Game 1 is the health of Anthony Edwards, who is listed as questionable with a right knee injury. Defensively, Rudy Gobert and Julius Randle will have to step up against Nikola Jokic, forcing the Serbian star into difficult jumpers rather than allowing easy looks at the rim. Anthony Edwards not being 100 percent healthy is an advantage for the Nuggets, who are also playing at home, and observers expect Denver to feed off the energy from its home crowd and competitively win Game 1. The Nuggets rattled off twelve consecutive wins, the longest winning streak of the Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray era.