Wolves delay the inevitable, but Nuggets talent will shine through
Apr 24, 2023, 6:28 AM | Updated: 6:33 am
Being delusional may come with the territory when you live in Minnesota. Perhaps if you do enough ice fishing, a frozen brain is an inevitable consequence. The Timberwolves beat the Nuggets 114-108 in overtime in Game 4 of their first-round series causing the locals to get a little overly confident.
“Wolves in seven!” the chanted. “Wolves in seven!”
Teams that have trailed 3-0 are 0-148 in NBA history.
“Wolves in seven! Wolves in seven!”
While it would’ve been sweet for the Nuggets to sweep an opponent for the first time in their history, it’s inevitable that this entire series will turn out to be a footnote not a signature. If anything, this was a loss that was defined by the team that made a furious comeback and lost rather than the team that came up with the actual W.
Down 12 with 2:36 left, the Nuggets went on an improbable 12-0 run to end the fourth quarter. It was a late-game rally that featured deadly outside shooting from Nikola Jokic and Michael Porter Jr.
“We have some great players on this team,” said Aaron Gordon. “We have a lot of fight in us. We never give up.”
The only blemish was Jokic missing his first of two free throws with 12 second left. Had the Joker dropped in just one more, the Nuggets may be resting comfortably instead of preparing for Game 5 Tuesday night.
However, it’s difficult to be too critical of a guy who scored 43 points, including five three-pointers.
“Why not?” said Jokic about attempting his abundance of threes.
A significant turnaround came at the charity stripe. Jokic didn’t get to the line once in Game 3. Sunday night, he went 8-of-12 on free throws. Likely, if that number was nine, the sweep would’ve been complete.
“I didn’t think we would go undefeated in the playoffs,” said disgruntled coach Michael Malone. “We had our chances. We have to go home and regroup against a team that has some life now.”
Again, teams down 3-0 are 0-148.
The Nuggets were just a bit off all night. The game itself was a drag until the dramatic end of the fourth quarter. Neither team could get their shooting straight as they plodded along.
“I’m watching hockey on TBS,” said Charles Barkley about the Nuggets/Wolves. “I’m not going to lie. This game is boring as hell.”
In the first three quarters, both teams blew eight-point leads. The last one yawning looked to be the winner.
When the Wolves went up by as many as 13 in the fourth, it appeared time to turn out the lights. However nobody gave Jokic that newsflash. He refused to lose. Willing the team to a furious comeback, Denver seemed poised to dominate in the extra session.
It wasn’t meant to be.
In the end, the Nuggets defense collapsed, allowing 18 points in just five minutes to lose in an exhausting, heartbreaking manner.
“I was proud of the effort to close out the fourth,” said Malone. “When the game was on the line we were unwilling to get the necessary stops. We had costly mistakes at big, big times. The hope is we will be a lot better in game five.”
Jamal Murray was a measly 8-of-21 from the field for 19 points, including hitting only two threes. After the game, it was obvious he felt burdened by his lackluster production.
“I gotta do better,” said Murray “I thought we missed a lot of good looks. I’m disappointed we didn’t do something we’ve never done (sweep an opponent in the playoffs). It’s a missed opportunity.”
Credit needs to be given to Wolves All-Star guard Anthony Edwards. While Rudy Gobert has been losing battles to Jokic for years and Karl-Anthony Towns has looked more like sloth than a KAT, Edwards has been sublime in this series. He has averaged 32 points per game, draining clutch shot after clutch shot, including a huge three over Aaron Gordon to seal the deal in OT.
“I don’t want to say I’ve ever been swept in my career, ” said Edwards.
The brilliant 21-year-old guard will at least have the never been swept mantle to rest his eighth-place trophy on.
In terms of what the Nuggets now have to do, it’s back to the basics according to Aaron Gordon.
“Get some rest and not worry too much about this game,” said Gordon. “Get mentally and physically back to where we need to be.”
His star teammate had more detail.
“Rebounds are gonna be the most important thing,” added Jokic.
Sunday night’s loss was the first game in the series in which they were beaten up on the glass.
There’s no secret recipe to finishing off an inferior team. The Nuggets won’t sulk. It’s just a pinch of disappointment to quickly handle.
Sweeping teams in the playoffs is virtually impossible. Finishing things off at home in Game 5 will give this team a welcomed boost as they likely stare down a much more difficult upcoming series with the Suns.
“We have to be a lot more urgent to close this team out,” said Malone.
It’s hard to imagine over 19,000 rabid fans will settle for anything less on Tuesday night.
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