5 Reasons Why The Denver Nuggets Lost Against The Minnesota Timberwolves
Before the start of the year, everyone expected the Denver Nuggets to be in the NBA Finals. After all, they have the best player in the world Nikola Jokic (who won his third MVP award), and a talented supporting cast featuring Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr, and Aaron Gordon. The reigning NBA champions were supposed to dominate the West after finishing with the second seed in the regular season (57-25).
However, the 98-90 loss in Game 7 to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round has raised eyebrows. What went wrong for the Nuggets? How did Jokic and Murray somehow fall to Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns after being the team to beat in the West? We have the reasons why the Nuggets collapsed against the Timberwolves.
1. Lack Of Depth
The Denver Nuggets did not have enough depth this season, and that was a worry at the start of the season after Bruce Brown and Jeff Green left the team. While Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray are the ones who receive the bulk of the attention, the role players often make the difference in the playoffs. Brown and Green were critical last year, and their impact came beyond numbers.
2. The Starters Are Exhausted
Without trusted backups including Brown and Green, the Nuggets had to overplay their starters and it was evident that they were exhausted. For the first time since becoming the league MVP, we saw Nikola Jokic make low-IQ plays in the series against the Timberwolves. Jokic had seven turnovers in Game 1 against the Timberwolves and four in the Game 2 blowout loss.
3. Anthony Edwards Is The Real Deal
Anthony Edwards has arrived as one of the NBA’s best players. It might have arrived sooner than we thought because his scoring from the perimeter and also his natural leadership ability have been refreshing. In a league where players seem to make excuses and shy away from aggressiveness, Edwards has brought the old-school back. He wants to win at all costs and does it with raw passion on the court.
4. The Timberwolves Are The Best Defensive Team In The NBA
The Minnesota Timberwolves are the best defensive team in the NBA and we saw many examples of that. They finished 1st in the regular season in OPPG (106.5) and had the four-time Defensive Player of the Year in their ranks. In Game 1 and 2, the Timberwolves were swarming the Nuggets with active hands and quick switching, leading to a quick 2-0 series lead. Their defense slacked a little bit, but they bounced back in Games 6 and 7.
5. Jamal Murray Is An Inconsistent Star
Jamal Murray was terrific in Game 7, posting 35 points and carrying them early in the game. However, there is a reason why Murray has yet to make an All-Star Team and that is down to his inconsistencies. He had 17 points in Game 1 on 6-14 shooting and followed that up with a putrid 8-point performance on 3-18 shooting in Game 2. Failing to make his mark in the first two games gave Minnesota confidence and it was an uphill battle for the Nuggets all the way through.
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