The Minnesota Timberwolves are one win from eliminating the Denver Nuggets, but the Anthony Edwards injury has changed the feel of Game 5 in a major way.
Minnesota leads the first-round series 3-1 after a 112-96 win in Game 4. Yet ESPN’s betting board (odds from DraftKings) showed the Timberwolves as 10.5-point underdogs for Game 5 in Denver — the same spread listed for the Phoenix Suns, who were down 0-3 to the Oklahoma City Thunder on the same board.
That is the clearest sign yet of how dramatically Minnesota’s injury situation has shifted the series. Edwards is expected to miss “multiple weeks” after suffering a bone bruise and hyperextension in his left knee. Testing did not show ligament damage, but the injury still puts his availability in doubt beyond this series if Minnesota advances.
The Wolves also lost Donte DiVincenzo to a ruptured right Achilles just 79 seconds into Game 4. Reuters reported that DiVincenzo is out indefinitely and was scheduled for surgery in New York.
Timberwolves’ Game 5 Odds Show How Much Anthony Edwards Matters
The Game 5 spread is striking because Minnesota is not trying to survive the series. The Timberwolves are trying to end it.
A team with a 3-1 lead is usually treated like the side with control, even on the road. The odds suggest the market sees a different version of the Timberwolves without Edwards and DiVincenzo — one that still has a series lead, but not the same offensive engine, shot creation or perimeter depth.
That matters against Denver because closeout games are already difficult. The Nuggets are back home, Nikola Jokic will be trying to extend the series, and Minnesota has to win without the player who led the team in scoring during the regular season. Edwards averaged 28.8 points and shot 39.9% from 3-point range over 61 regular-season games.
That does not mean Minnesota cannot win. It does mean oddsmakers are treating the Wolves like a depleted road underdog, not a team comfortably ahead in the series.
Ayo Dosunmu Gives Timberwolves a Lifeline, but the Rotation Has Changed
The good news for Minnesota is that Game 4 already offered a glimpse of how the Wolves can survive without Edwards and DiVincenzo.
Ayo Dosunmu came off the bench and erupted for 43 points on 13-of-17 shooting, including a perfect 5-of-5 mark from 3-point range and 12-of-12 at the free-throw line.
That performance saved Minnesota from a potentially devastating night. It also created a new question for Game 5: how much of that can be repeated on the road with Denver fully aware that Dosunmu has become a primary scoring option?
The Wolves still have Julius Randle, Jaden McDaniels, Rudy Gobert and a defense that has already put real pressure on Denver in this series. But without Edwards, the late-clock burden changes. Minnesota loses its best downhill scorer, its cleanest isolation option and the player most capable of turning a broken possession into points.
Without DiVincenzo, the Wolves also lose another guard who could space the floor, handle pressure and absorb playoff minutes.
Minnesota Still Has Two Chances After Game 5, but Denver Has a Path Back
The Wolves do not need to panic. They have three chances to win one game, and they already built the 3-1 lead that gives them that cushion.
But the 10.5-point spread shows why Game 5 is not just another closeout opportunity. It is also Denver’s best opening to make this series feel different.
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