The Minnesota Timberwolves have a chance to put their foot on the Denver Nuggets’ throat when they host Game 4 Saturday in the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at the Target Center at 8:30 p.m. ET. Minnesota beat the brakes off Denver 113-96 in Game 3 Thursday to take a 2-1 series lead.

Now, both teams have -110 odds to win this series at DraftKings. The T-Wolves are slight home underdogs — +1.5 on the spread and +102 on the money line — and the total is 229.5.

WHY BETTING THUNDER -9.5 AGAINST THE SUNS FEELS LIKE A SAFE PLAY IN A LOPSIDED SERIES

In an unexpected twist, the Timberwolves have made Nuggets’ three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic seem mortal. Although Jokic is still getting his numbers, he’s been less efficient. The Joker is shooting just 40.0% from the field and 20.8% from behind the arc with a -6 net rating.

Denver’s other major concern is the health of its only good defensive player, forward Aaron Gordon, who missed Game 3 and is “questionable” for Saturday. Even if Gordon plays Game 4, how effective will he be? And does it matter anyway? That’s what I’m here to discuss.

Best Bet: Minnesota Timberwolves +102 moneyline, up to -120

I’m expecting a Jokic bounce-back game Saturday. He’s just too good. Nikola has averaged a triple-double in three of his last four NBA playoffs, and he usually balls up T-Wolves C Rudy Gobert.

However, this is a bad matchup for the Nuggets because they need PG Jamal Murray to play like an All-Star, and the Timberwolves have two of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA, Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels.

Murray is averaging 25.3 points per game in this series, but he is shooting 35.9% from the field and 22.2% from 3-point range. That’s just not going to cut it. And it won’t get easier for him either because McDaniels is picking Murray up full-court.

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Meanwhile, with or without Gordon, Denver has a terrible defense. Sure, having Jokic gives the Nuggets a chance to beat anyone, but you can’t win a title with the 21st-ranked defensive efficiency in the Association.

Also, Minnesota is one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the NBA, and role players shoot better at home. The T-Wolves are sixth in 3-point shooting percentage and allow the fewest 3-pointers per game on defense.

Lastly, this will be a contrarian bet with the public most likely backing Denver because people will think, “The Nuggets won’t go down 3-1 in this series. They are the better team with the best player in the world.”

Well, I’m here to tell you those people are wrong, and the Timberwolves are winning Game 4.

Prediction: Timberwolves 117, Nuggets 110

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Follow me on X @Geoffery-Clark, and check out my OutKick Bets Podcast for more betting content and random rants.

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The Minnesota Vikings have made another selection in the 2026 NFL Draft, and with this pick, they have finally moved over to the offensive side of the football, specifically to the offensive line

With the 97th pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Vikings have chosen Caleb Tiernan, an offensive lineman from Northwestern University.

In keeping with what seems to be a theme in this year’s draft for the Vikings, Tiernan is a huge guy, measuring in at 6’7” and 325 pounds. Despite his height, a lot of scouts seem to feel that his best position at the NFL level is going to be in the interior on the offensive line, as he has some limitations that may leave him better suited to playing the guard spot. He has plenty of experience, having started 43 games in college for the Wildcats, and showed outstanding technique as a pass blocker.

Most of the scouting reports on Tiernan praise his processing ability as well, as he always seems to be one step ahead of his opponents.

We’ll see what the Vikings plan to do with Tiernan as far as his position at the NFL level, though the current composition of the offensive line seems to suggest that they want to play him on the interior. Whatever the case may be, hopefully he’ll be able to make an impact up front for the Vikings sooner rather than later.

Welcome to Minnesota, Caleb Tiernan!

Nearly a year after the assassination of a Minnesota legislative leader, lawmakers across the U.S. have worked to fortify security in state capitols and improve safeguards when officials are in their communities.

The changes have followed a rise in political violence nationwide that included the stunning assassination last June of Rep. Melissa Hortman, the top Democratic leader in the Minnesota House, and the September killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was speaking at a college in Utah.

In Minnesota, most doors at the state Capitol are now locked, and people entering must go through weapons detectors. People entering the visitors’ galleries to watch floor debates must go through a second set of detectors.

“It’s important for us to be able to not have our government fall apart if our legislators are under threat,” said Minnesota Rep. Julie Green, a Democrat who sits directly across the aisle from Hortman’s old desk, which remains empty except for fresh roses, her portrait and a speaker’s gavel. “It’s a complicated, complex, very emotional issue, as you can imagine.”

In addition to the killings of Hortman and Kirk, violence targeting political figures in the U.S. in the last few years has included an arson attack last year at the home of Democratic Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro; an assassination attempt on then-candidate Donald Trump at a Pennsylvania rally in 2024; and a hammer attack on the husband of Democratic then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi at their California home in 2022.

Twenty-five states, including Minnesota, now formally allow candidates to use campaign funds for personal security. Most made the change after the killings of Kirk and Hortman. Eleven states have laws permitting it, while others have approved it through rules or other mechanisms, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures and the VoteMama Foundation.

This year alone, Alabama, Oregon, Nebraska and Utah enacted laws allowing campaign funds for security. Bills to legalize it are pending in about a dozen other states.

It’s not just happening at the state level. Security spending for congressional and presidential campaigns has jumped fivefold over the past decade. Federal political committees spent more than $40 million on expenses labeled as security during the 2023-24 campaign cycle, according to an April report from the nonpartisan Public Service Alliance.

Metal detectors — one of the most visible signs of concerns about political violence — were installed at Alaska’s Capitol last year. Democratic Rep. Sara Hannan said the change was due to “increased risk of violence in our public institutions.” Lawmakers approved them before Hortman was killed.

But some states have balked at making it harder to access the halls of power. Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, a Republican who knew Hortman, resisted efforts to install metal detectors in his state, saying he didn’t want to “fortify” the Capitol. Wisconsin’s is one of 11 state capitols that don’t have metal detectors, a state audit found.

Minnesota lawmakers are also considering creating a special unit within the State Patrol, which oversees Capitol security, that would provide protection for legislators, the state attorney general, secretary of state, state auditor, and Supreme Court justices.

One lead author is Democratic Sen. John Hoffman, who survived being shot nine times the night Hortman was killed. Prosecutors say the gunman, disguised as a police officer, began his rampage by shooting Hoffman and his wife, then stopped at the residences of two other lawmakers who weren’t home. He then went to Hortman’s home, where he killed the representative and her husband, and wounded their dog so severely that he had to be euthanized.

At a hearing Tuesday, Hoffman called his measure “a necessary response” that would “keep elected officials and Supreme Court justices safe and dedicate the resources necessary and hopefully stop future tragedies from happening.”

Numerous states have also taken action to protect lawmakers’ personal information. North Dakota lawmakers on Wednesday discussed a bill draft for next year that would make confidential the home addresses of candidates and public officials upon request.

The NCSL in February created a $1.5 million fund to reimburse legislatures for expenses related to lawmakers’ personal safety and security while they’re away from their statehouses. More than 30 states have applied or are preparing to, NCSL spokesperson Katie Ziegler said.

NOTE: The original airdate of the video attached to this article is April 23, 2026.