The Nuggets opened their preseason on Saturday night in San Diego, taking on the reviled Minnesota Timberwolves. Sure, it was just an exhibition game, but that didn’t stop things from getting chippy in the opening minutes.
On one of the first few possessions of the game, Nikola Jokic received a pass on the right elbow, and as he went to pivot with the ball, he struck Rudy Gobert in the side of the face. Rudy put his hands on his head, stumbling backwards a couple of feet before realizing there was no whistle.
Jokic, taking advantage of the space, drove hard to the basket for what appeared to be an open layup. But Gobert responded quickly and charged at Jokic, bumping him hard with his shoulder, almost knocking him to the floor. The hard foul was called, and Jokic walked right back into Gobert’s chest before quickly separating.
Nikola Jokic vs Rudy Gobert 😅pic.twitter.com/EtuBCBzZYa
— Basket-Infos (@Basket_Infos) October 5, 2025
It’s not like a fight broke out or anything, but this was an aggressive play for the opening minutes of preseason. It shows that it’s not just another game when these two get together, and there are now years of pent up, healthy hatred between the two sides.
Nuggets and Timberwolves becoming one of the best rivalries in NBA
These are two teams coming into the season with the same goals and a sour taste in their mouth from last season. The Nuggets and Wolves both believe they can win the Western Conference, and they know they will likely have to go through the other to achieve that goal.
The Timberwolves got the best of this one, taking a 128-116 win in San Diego. But this is about much more than the end result. Denver has a much-improved roster, but if Saturday night was any indication, they still have a lot to work on, especially on the defensive end.
Luckily, they’ll have plenty more chances as the regular season is still weeks away. Hopefully, they can clean up some of their issues and hit their stride when the games start to count. They’ll get their first chance to take on the T-Wolves for real on October 27th when the teams square off in Minnesota.
The Wolves swept the Nuggets last year after knocking them out of the playoffs in 2024. To say there is some bad blood would be an understatement. The Wolves have been a bugaboo of sorts for Denver, and they can get their season off to a great start by taking down their rivals later this month.