Why The Timberwolves Will be OK Despite Bad Loss
Game 3 was an impressive showing for the Denver Nuggets, but one the Timberwolves need to and can atone for in Game 4 on Sunday.
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What was going to happen in Game 3 was always interesting. After the Timberwolves’ Game 2 beatdown of the Nuggets in Denver, the possibilities felt were endless. Many projected a long series but that victory was too convincing that the national conversation shifted to whether the Timberwolves could sweep. I don’t think this was out of pocket. The Nuggets did not look great in their series with the Lakers and then found themselves down 0-2 to the third seed in the conference. A sweep may have never felt likely but it felt like it was on the table with the Timberwolves headed back to Target Center for Games 3 and 4.
With that said, the Nuggets are still the champs with the now-three-time MVP, Nikola Jokic. While it was possible the Timberwolves rode the energy from the home crowd to a Game 3 win, it also felt like we were speaking in far too certain terms that this series was over. Sure enough, Game 3 was a 117-90 Nuggets win and a game that was competitive for about six minutes. Denver led by as much as 34 and the game had just four lead changes. Talk about returning the favor.
Am I worried about the Timberwolves? No. I still think the Timberwolves win this series, even if they just win the two remaining home games in the series. Here are some reasons why my confidence in the Timberwolves is unwavering:
Much like Devin Booker in the Phoenix series, Jamal Murray was going to get going eventually. Murray was 11-of-21 from the field for 24 points and made some tough shots.
The Nuggets shot 53.8 percent from the field and 48.3 from beyond the arc. For comparison, the Timberwolves shot just 30.3 percent from the field. That’s how things go sometimes.
The Timberwolves managed to take 25 free throws, but 14 came from the bench. Anthony Edwards took zero and acknowledged he needed to be more aggressive in Game 4. But getting to the line is a great health indicator for a team and one that should pay dividends if they can continue drawing fouls, especially the starters.
Most of all, these aren’t the same old Timberwolves. This is arguably the greatest team in franchise history. Now, I know that’s not the highest bar but this team won 60 games and won some big games in this postseason already. It’s not like this team was going to go undefeated in the postseason anway. The team’s comments from after the game showed that they know what they need to do on Sunday.
“Yeah, I think so, for sure,” said Chris Finch about whether they were caught off guard. “This is a team that you don’t want to be behind on, particularly by the margin we were behind at because they execute so well, and they’ve got a lot of really tough shot makers.”
“I thought we’d be better. But we talked the whole season about being a mature team, and mature teams have to handle success. Three days between games, you know, how do you prepare back home, lots of distractions, need to lock in. Thought we had a couple good days of practice but apparently, we weren’t able to transfer it to the floor.”
There was no finger-pointing or excuse-making either.
"I don’t know, man. It’s on me. I’ll take the blame for this loss,” said Edwards. “I came out with no energy at all, and I can’t afford to do that. I let my team and my coaches down, fans down, I’ll be ready Sunday.”
"It’s gotta look inwards. I think everybody knows their routine, whatever it is, just gotta find it. Tired, three days off, trying to get your rhythm back, whatever it is. We can make excuses all day, we just gotta be better, and it starts with me,” Nickeil Alexander-Walker said. “I gotta find ways to do what I can and impact the energy level of the team. That’s usually what I’ve done, all season I’ve done that, so for me I take ownership of that and next game going forward I’ll do it.”
No one wants to lose on their home floor, especially in such an emphatic manner. But there is a lot of reason for optimism that the Timberwolves can redeem themselves in Game 4 and retain control of their destiny in this series. I trust Anthony Edwards when he says they’ll be ready on Sunday.