The Denver Nuggets and the Minnesota Timberwolves will still meet for a preseason finale in Minneapolis, but the timing of the matchup has changed.
Our preseason game on October 18th at Minnesota has been rescheduled for October 17th at 6:00 pm MT. pic.twitter.com/lIncLVUmiG
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) October 9, 2024
Without trying to delve too deeply into any conspiracy theories of why this is happening, it’s clear looking at the Timberwolves schedule that an October 17th matchup is much, much better for them. The T’Wolves tip off their season on Tuesday October 22nd against the Los Angeles Lakers, one of two opening night matchups to kick off the NBA season.
The difference between an October 17th and October 18th preseason game is meaningful to the Timberwolves and allows for more rest/preparation, which is of course meaningful to the NBA. The league wants to feature the Timberwolves after their Western Conference Finals run last season, and allowing one more day of rest for Anthony Edwards and the T’Wolves roster makes sense.
For the Nuggets, not a lot changes with this schedule shift. Denver has preseason home games scheduled for October 13th against the Phoenix Suns and October 15th against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Now, rather than wait an extra day to travel to Minnesota, the Nuggets will get on a plane for their matchup against the Timberwolves and play on the 17th instead.
The Nuggets regular season opener against the Thunder will happen on October 24th, so the Nuggets will have a full week of rest and recovery before beginning their season in earnest. So, this preseason game shift doesn’t really help them or hurt them.
Expect the Nuggets to treat either that October 15th matchup against the Thunder or the October 17th matchup against the T’Wolves as a regular season tune-up. The Nuggets will attempt to play their full rotation for about three quarters in one of those games, and that will allow Michael Malone and the Nuggets coaching staff an opportunity to evaluate a dress rehearsal of sorts.