LOS ANGELES — For the NBA romantics out there, for those who see the game as more than X’s and O’s on a white board and Defensive Real Plus-Minus on a spreadsheet, what is not to love about the first-round playoff series between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Minnesota Timberwolves?

Denver still has the best player in the world in Nikola Jokić. With a exception of a down postseason from his running mate in 2024, Jokić and Jamal Murray are among the league's bigger playoff risers. And the Nuggets ending the season 3-0 under their interim coach could be more than the typical "new coach bump."