The Nuggets appeared to be cruising to a 2-0 series lead Monday night as they opened a 44-25 lead over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
But the Timberwolves rallied to take the lead in the second quarter. And they rallied again in the fourth against a Nuggets team that looked outmatched and out of gas down the stretch to stun the Denver home crowd in a 119-114 win.
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The series is now tied at 1-1 and headed to Minnesota for Game 3. And now, it’s anybody’s game. Here’s how the Timberwolves got the job done — and how the Nuggets didn’t — in Game 2.
Rudy Gobert flustered Nikola Jokić early in Game 1 before the Nuggets pulled away behind Jamal Murray’s 30 points.
On Tuesday, Gobert made life hard on Jokić virtually whenever he was on the floor. In the end, he helped limit Jokić to two fourth-quarter points as the Timberwolves rallied to stun the Nuggets.
Early on, Jokić let the game come to him. He didn’t attempt a field goal as Denver opened up a 28-13 first-quarter lead in the game’s first nine minutes. Jokić settled into his role as a playmaker and thrived while racking up five assists before taking his first shot from the field.
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But after the Timberwolves punched back to take the lead in the second quarter, waiting was no longer an option. And outside of his 16-point third quarter, Jokić was largely a non-factor as a scorer, especially when matched up with Gobert.
Jokić scored just six points in the first half. And as Minnesota outscored Denver 29-21 in the fourth quarter, Jokić shot 1 of 7 in the final frame as Gobert repeatedly challenged him at the rim.
The two-man game with Jamal Murray that paced Denver’s Game 1 win was no longer effective as Minnesota took control. Jokić finished with 24 points, 15 rebounds and 8 assists. But he faltered down the stretched, turned the ball over three times and shot just 8 of 20 from the field and 1 of 7 from 3.
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Gobert’s box score (2 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals, 0 blocks, 5 fouls) left a lot to be desired. But his impact on the game was evident to anyone who was watching Monday night.
Anthony Edwards is grinding — and producing — through pain
Anthony Edwards clearly still isn’t himself due to a lingering knee injury that sidelined him for 11 of Minnesota’s last 14 regular-season games. He’s been a game-day call for both playoff games and appeared to tweak his knee early Monday. He grabbed it in clear pain in the first first quarter.
But he’s pushing through and finished Monday with a team-high 30 points and 10 rebounds alongside 2 assists, 2 blocks and 1 steal. He wasn’t particularly efficient while shooting 10 of 25 from the field and 3 of 11 from 3.
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But he was tenacious and aggressive and kept constant pressure on Denver’s defense despite clearly not being 100%.
Edwards now has two days off to rest his ailing knee before Game 3 Thursday night. How he continues to play through pain could very well tilt the balance of the series.
Denver’s depth is still an issue
The Nuggets prioritized building depth in the offseason after they ran out of gas in a seven-game series against the Thunder last postseason. But through two playoff games, a tight rotation has them looking gassed again after two games.
It was the Nuggets who looked like the road team playing in elevation Monday as Denver effectively ran a seven-man rotation. Spencer Jones (10 minutes, 0 points, 0 shots, 2 rebounds) and Jonas Valanciunas (3 minutes, 0 points, 0 shots, 2 rebounds) both played, but were non-factors. Tim Hardaway Jr. and Bruce Brown were Denver’s only effective players off the bench.
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This meant 40 minutes for Jokić after 40 minutes in Game 1. It meant 43 minutes for Murray after 39 in Game 1. And both were gassed in the fourth quarter as they combined for four points while shooting 2 of 12 from the field.
Free-throw discrepancy eliminated
Minnesota coach Chris Finch was not pleased with Jamal Murray’s 16 free throws in Denver’s Game 1 win as the Nuggets secured a 33-19 advantage in attempts en route to victory. He continued to work the officials in his pregame news conference Monday.
“Maybe we ought to start flopping, too,” Finch told reporters pregame.
The Timberwolves repeatedly fouled early while helping the Nuggets build their early 19-point advantage. Denver scored 12 points on three consecutive and-1 3s in the first quarter to build that lead, prompting Edwards to take up Finch’s case with the refs.
But there was no lopsided free-throw advantage when the final horn blew. Officials swallowed their whistles when fouls should have probably been called on both teams, particularly in the third quarter. By the fourth, the refs were largely letting both sides play with minimal interference.
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In the end, each team attempted 30 free throws. Minnesota’s struggles at the line (19 of 30) were the only only free-throw issues Finch could rightfully complain about in Game 2.
Denver’s lack of rim protection is a problem
The Nuggets are in desperate need of an adjustment for their poor rim protection.
Denver finished 22nd in the NBA in the regular season in defensive rating, and the Timberwolves exploited that weakness while turning their early deficit into a comeback win. They did so by repeatedly attacking the rim.
They did it with ball movement:
They did it with size:
They did it with Edwards’ athleticism:
And the Nuggets are in trouble in this series — and beyond if they advance — if head coach David Adelman can’t cook up an adjustment.
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Game 3 is scheduled for Thursday night in Minneapolis (9:30 p.m. ET, Prime).
