Timberwolves blowout Nuggets by 26, lead series 2-0

Written by: William Petersen •

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After a back and forth game one between the two seed Denver Nuggets and the three seed Minnesota Timberwolves resulted in Minnesota stealing game one 106-99, the NBA community might be beginning to witness a changing of the guard in the Western Conference. This changing of the guard became even more apparent after Minnesota dominated the defending champion Denver Nuggets 106-80, in a game that was manipulated by the Timberwolves tenacious defense that prevented the Nuggets offense from being able to find any momentum all night. Minnesota came out with a clear gameplan of bringing constant pressure to Jamal Murray early, who only finished with 8 points on 3/18 shooting, as well as a tough shooting night from Michael Porter Jr. who only scored 9 points on 4/12 shooting from the field and 1/7 from three. Besides his terrible shooting performance, Murray also made headlines by throwing a heat pack onto the floor which will most likely result in Murray missing game three by suspension, and potentially cost Denver these series if he cannot play. The series now shifts back to Minnesota on Friday, with Timberwolves up 2-0 and have a chance to sweep the Nuggets in four games if they can continue to keep up this level of play on both ends of the floor.

Anthony Edwards might be on the fastest track to being the face of the NBA as the 22 year old star has now turned into a superstar after his performances in this year's playoffs, and it's only the second round. Anthony Edwards has firmly cemented why he was drafted first overall in the 2020 NBA Draft, averaging 32.3 points per game on 54.7% shooting from the field and 42% from three, in just six playoff games so far. Edwards has risen to the top of NBA stardom as the Georgia Bulldogs alum has been the driving force behind Minnesota’s offensive efficiency while also filling his role on the defensive end of the floor. The Timberwolves finished the regular season with the highest defensive rating in the NBA and Minnesota continues to dominate good offensive teams with better defense. By holding the defending champions to 80 points and beating them in their own building by 26 to take a 2-0 series lead without Rudy Gobert who is most likely going to be the DPOY, the Timberwolves have a legitimate shot to win the West and the NBA Finals if this roster can stay healthy and Anthony Edwards continues to score the ball at will. This series is not over for the Nuggets just yet, but if they find themselves down 3-0 with a close out game four in Minneapolis, Denver might be on their way to Cabo much sooner than they would have anticipated.

Head coach Michael Malone was animated and frustrated in his squad’s blowout loss last night and many called for Malone to receive a technical foul early in game two. The frustration found itself throughout the Nuggets roster last night as Jamal Murray was clearly seen throwing a towel and heat pack onto the floor in what many experts around the league will result in Murray being suspended for game three in Minnesota. Murray has struggled shooting the ball the majority of the playoffs, even though he hit two game winning shots against the Lakers in the first round, and his inconsistent performances has been a factor in Minnesota stealing both games on the road. The soon to be three time MVP in Nikola Jokic has not played terribly in these first two games, nearly having a triple-double in both and putting up 16 points and 16 rebounds in a 26 point loss is not ideal but not nearly as much of an eye soar as Murray’s eight points and Michael Porter Jr.’s nine points in game two. The Nuggets look outmatched in this series and I honestly would not be surprised to see them get swept 4-0 after multiple slow starts and the lack of an “edge” to overcome poor shooting nights. The Nuggets won a championship last year thanks to Jokic’s offensive domination but also due to how the Timberwolves are winning today, with defense and a group of players that have rallied around each other. The Denver Nuggets need to do a complete 180 by Friday if they want any chance of beating the hottest team in the NBA, otherwise the Timberwolves will find themselves in the Western Conference Finals for the first time in twenty years.

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