The Minnesota Timberwolves play host to the Denver Nuggets at Target Center on Thursday.

The Nuggets (45-24) have guaranteed themselves homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs, assured to finish either third or fourth. That makes for yet another successful season, with Mike Malone working his magic yet again. This big season has to be credited to Nikola Jokic, with the big man looking like a shoo-in for the MVP. He's leading the team with 26.5 points, 10.8 rebounds, 8.4 assists, and 1.3 steals per game, carrying them with so many key players out of the lineup. Denver is missing Jamal Murray, Will Barton, and PJ Dozier, but it hasn't hampered them one bit. That says a lot about this club, and it's sad that they won't have Murray for the final run.

The Timberwolves (22-47) have played well recently, winning eight of their last 13 games coming into this matchup. They were actually near the bottom of the standings before this run, and numerous tanking teams have fallen below them. Many Minnesota fans would prefer the losses because this club is falling deeper and deeper down the draft. That's a tough predicament in today's NBA, though, and it's clear that the T'Wolves care more about winning than they do about future assets. In any case, it's nice to see these youngsters play so well together, and it could be some much-needed momentum heading into the 2021 season.

These teams have already played twice this season, with Denver winning both matchups. That gives the Nuggets 10 straight wins in this series dating back four years.