When do NBA playoffs start? Denver Nuggets ready for postseason

The Denver Nuggets will see a familiar face when their opening round series in the NBA playoffs tips off on April 18 at Ball Arena.

No. 3 seed Denver (54-28) will face the No. 6 seed Minnesota Timberwolves (49-33). Denver won the season series 3-1 over Minnesota, which has reached the Western Conference finals in both 2024 and 2025. Throw in the Nuggets’ 2023 title run, and one of these teams has appeared in the Western Conference finals for three straight seasons.

Denver heads into the postseason led by center Nikola Jokić, who once again put up MVP-caliber stats despite a serious knee injury that cost him 16 games. He averaged 27.7 points, 12.9 rebounds and 10.7 assists, matching a career high with 34 triple-doubles.

Guard Jamal Murray also had a strong season, making his first All-Star team while posting highs in points (25.4), assists (7.1) and rebounds (4.4) per game. He shot 48.3% from the field and 43.5% from three-point range, also career bests.

Minnesota is led by guard Anthony Edwards, who posted 28.8 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game.

When do the NBA playoffs start?

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) shoots over San Antonio Spurs center Mason Plumlee (45) during their game on April 12, 2026.

Denver opens its series at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 18, at Ball arena. Tickets are still available online.

When do the Nuggets play?

After the Western Conference play-in game on April 14, the NBA firmed up the times and broadcast plans for the first four games of the Nuggets-Timberwolves series. Times and broadcast plans for possible games 5-7 are undecided:

• Game 1: Timberwolves at Nuggets, Sat., April 18, 1:30 p.m. MT, Prime Video
• Game 2: Timberwolves at Nuggets, Mon., April 20, 8:30 p.m., NBC/Peacock
• Game 3: Nuggets at Timberwolves, Thu. April 23, 7:30 p.m., Prime Video
• Game 4: Nuggets at Timberwolves, Sat., April 25, 6:30 p.m., ABC
• Game 5: Timberwolves at Nuggets (if necessary, Mon. April 27, time and TV TBD)
• Game 6: Nuggets at Timberwolves (if necessary), Thu. April 30, time and TV TBD
• Game 7: Timberwolves at Nuggets (if necessary), time and TV TBD

How do you watch the Nuggets in the playoffs?

In previous seasons, teams could still have their local TV partners offer broadcasts of first-round games as an alternative to national broadcasters. However, the NBA’s new media deal requires all playoff games to be shown exclusively by its national TV and streaming video partners.

Playoff games can air on Prime Video, NBC/Peacock and ESPN/ABC.

How do you listen to the Nuggets in the playoffs?

The Nuggets are carried on the Altitude Sports Radio network. Game 1 of the series can also be heard on SiriusXM on channel 86.

Why isn’t the Nuggets full schedule set?

More of the schedule will be set based on how long each of the NBA's first round series goes, as the league works to slot remaining games into the media partners' broadcast windows.

Who would Denver play next if they win the series?

The winner of the Nuggets-Timberwolves series will play the winner of a series between the No. 2 seed San Antonio Spurs and the Portland Trailblazers, who advanced to the playoffs by beating Phoenix in a play-in game on April 14.

Nayte Trela covers trending news in Colorado and Utah for the USA TODAY Network.

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: What channel is Nuggets-Timberwolves on? Time, TV, streaming