4 Things From Timberwolves-Nuggets Game 2
The Timberwolves stun the Nuggets, up 2-0. Dive into the emphatic win: dominant defense, KAT's prowess and Nuggets' challenge.
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I was stunned. Shocked. I did not do a Timberwolves-Nuggets series preview for many reasons, including there being a million out there already. Like a player not wanting to throw up a half-court heave at halftime to preserve his field goal percentage, I gotta look out for my open rate (KIDDING). Anyway, if I had done one, I would have told you I picked the Nuggets in 7 out of respect for the defending champs and them having home court. You could have talked me into the Wolves winning a long series; I don’t think this matchup is impossible.
At no point in my thinking did I consider the Timberwolves heading back to Minneapolis with a 2-0 lead. There was just no way. Denver is just too much of a home-court advantage and the Nuggets were ahead in their franchise trajectory. On top of that Rudy Gobert justifiably missed Game 2 for the birth of his first child. The Nuggets should have won this game. Now, the Nuggets have to win 4-of-5 without home court for the rest of the series. A lot can still happen in this series, but the Timberwolves are in a good position. Of the 33 teams to go up 2-0 on the road in a seven-game series, 28 of those teams have gone on to win the series.
It’s not just that the Wolves won Game 2, it’s that they dismantled the Nuggets. The Timberwolves dismantled the Nuggets, 106-80. That was a season low in points for Denver and no team had held them below 100 points twice this season, let alone in consecutive games. There was one lead change when the Wolves went up 4-2 in the first quarter and led by as much as 28 in the second quarter.
What the Wolves’ defense did to Nikola Jokic was staggering. Jokic had 16 points on 13 shots, 16 rebounds and eight assists without Gobert. On the perimeter, they forced the ball from his hands and trapped him at the top of the key. Even if Jokic drew a foul, the Timberwolves kept the pressure on. Inside, they were able to play him 1-on-1 and try to turn him into a scorer and not let him get his teammates going. He still had eight assists, sure, but look what Naz Reid did to him.
Additionally, Michael Porter Jr. and Jamal Murray combined to shoot just 7-for-30 from the field and 17 points. Justin Holliday is a good NBA rotation player and had 13 points on six shots, a far superior performance than Porter and Murray.
“You know we have had some really good defensive efforts this year, this has to be right up there with the best of them,” said Chris Finch. “On the ball, off the ball, the physicality, the execution of the game plan, doing it over and over and over again as far as the physical and mental toughness and to have that and be really locked in on defense.”
The way this defense played reminds you the difference between a team’s performance in the long season and in the playoffs. Eighty-two games is a lot of games to play like this but these are the performances you bring in the playoffs. Perhaps most surprisingly is not the defense but the offense. A middling regular season offensive team, the Timberwolves are first in offensive rating the playoffs and fifth in defense. That is a dangerous combination for the rest of the league.
Is This The Best Win In Franchise History?
I heard this question asked on the Flagrant Howls podcast and my mind eventually went to Game 7 against Sacramento in 2004. Kevin Garnett gave a prolific, career-defining performance to clinch the series at Target Center. However, I don’t think we should rule out Monday’s win. Consider this:
The Timberwolves were the lower seed playing the defending champions.
They were the road team this time.
The Timberwolves did not just beat their opponent, they dominated them.
Game 7 is a do-or-die situation and the Timberwolves still could have lost on Monday and had the chance to come back to take the series. However, going up 2-0 would put the Timberwolves in an incredible position to advance to the conference finals.
It’s an interesting question and even if you would say it’s Game 7, it’s difficult to dismiss Monday’s victory. To be clear, if it is up to these two games, it reinforces the lack of success during the team’s history. Yet, it is undeniable that Monday’s victory is a proud moment in this team’s history.
Kudos for KAT
With Gobert out, the Timberwolves were shorthanded in the frontcourt. This meant that Karl-Anthony Towns was even more valuable. Staying out of foul trouble was going to be a must. Towns put up a tidy 27 points on 10-for-15 shooting to go along with 12 rebounds. He did have four fouls but it did not plague his game. Towns picked up his first foul around 8:30 in the first quarter but managed not to lose the rope and let the game get away from him.
Quotes of the Night
“They kicked our ass. So, yeah it got away from us,” said Nuggets coach Mike Malone. “It was a very, very quiet locker room and you can take that many different ways. I’m taking it as our guys are disappointed in our performance tonight, all the way across the board. From myself all the way down to player number 18. We got outcoached, we got outplayed."
Malone is always candid with his team but was especially candid on Monday night.
"It’s going to be a challenge. The body language of our guys is not where I think it needs to be. We just got beat up in our building. We got embarrassed in front of our fans. The good thing is we don’t play until Friday. We have a chance to get away and think about what we want to do moving forward.”
Malone gave a long quote about not matching the Timberwolves’ physicality and not thinking about the whole series but just trying to win the first quarter of Game 3. They aren’t giving up but Denver seems to know the position they are in.
When asked when the breakdowns began, Jokic said, "The whole series I think. If you guys watched the previous series against the Suns they were doing the same thing, they are really into the body. They play really good defense, they played really good defense the whole season. That’s why they were the number one defense. They are aggressive, they push you off the spot, all five are aggressive. They know what they are doing and that’s why it’s probably hard to score."
You can look at this and see that the Nuggets realize the work in front of them, but they also knew what the Timberwolves were going to do and could not stop it. Oh, and they should have Gobert back for Game 3. How did they manage this staunch defensive performance without him? Chris Finch has our answer
“Listen, Rudy [Gobert] has driven the defensive culture here. I think it is a testament to his impact and presence and what he has infused into the team. We all know how important defense is and how great we can be when we play it, that aside we always expect to win no matter who is with us. Our guys truly believe that and we are very very very happy for Rudy and the guys that way and they are ready to go. We will tweak a few things in the game plan and run at them."
Game 3 was already going to be incredible but both teams will make their adjustments. The Timberwolves crowd is going be on fire and it is going to be a hostile environment for the Nuggets. There is no doubt Denver will come out strong knowing they can’t go down 3-0 but Minnesota seems to know what they are up against. Going up 3-0 would feel surreal, but Monday’s emphatic victory was a 2.5-hour bath in the surreal already.