Minnesota Timberwolves lose key contributor for rest of playoffs due to major injury originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The good news for the Minnesota Timberwolves is that they were able to pull out a 112-96 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Saturday night to take a 3-1 lead in the first-round series between the teams.

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The bad news for the Wolves is that they lost a key contributor in the process.

Donte DiVincenzo out for rest of playoffs after suffering torn Achilles

Starting guard Donte DiVincenzo suffered a torn Achilles tendon in Game 4, and he’ll miss the rest of the postseason as a result. He’ll also miss a huge chunk, if not all, of the 2026-27 NBA season as a result of the injury.

It’s an extremely unfortunate break for a guy who was extremely durable for Minnesota during the regular season. DiVincenzo was so durable, in fact, that he started in all 82 games for the Wolves over the course of the campaign.

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In addition to DiVincenzo, the Timberwolves also lost star guard Anthony Edwards during their Game 4 victory. Edwards exited the game with an apparent knee injury and never returned. He’s set to undergo testing on the knee, and his status moving forward is in question at this point. An update on Edwards should be provided in short order.

With DiVincenzo, and possibly Edwards, sidelined for the foreseeable future, guys like Ayo Dosunmu and Bones Hyland will likely see their roles increase exponentially.

The Wolves need just one more win to eliminate Denver and advance to the Western Conference semifinals where they would meet the winner of the series between the San Antonio Spurs and Portland Trail Blazers.

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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!