Nuggets survive and advance, as Nikola Jokic leads them to a win
Apr 26, 2023, 6:47 AM
It wasn’t exactly a thing of beauty, but a stagger to the finish line counts just as much as sprint. In the locker room during the postgame speech, the players graded their offensive effort a C-. But hey, whatever; a win is a win. Game 5 between the Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves, went the home team’s way, as the 112-109 victory finished the series 4-1.
It was a tardy crowd at Ball Arena on Tuesday night. After a disappointing overtime loss in Minnesota, it was expected the fans and Nuggets would come out on fire.
Neither was true.
“I felt our team was like the crowd tonight,” said coach Michael Malone. “We were late arriving. I looked up and saw all those empty seats and our coaches said the weather was really bad.”
However, Malone pointed out the hero to lift them from their morass.
“The way we played that first quarter was like a regular-season game,” Malone explained. “Slowly but surely, Jamal (Murray) made a couple of shots. Jamal plays with so much emotion. He got our team going. Then, the crowd got really into it. Jamal just wouldn’t quit. He hit big shot after big shot.”
Perhaps the fans and the team were more accustomed to later starts as has been the norm. The Nuggets dug an early 15-point hole for themselves. Nothing was falling.
In the first half:
Michael Porter Jr. went scoreless.
Nikola Jokic went 2-for-10 from the floor.
The Crayola Box Crew second unit (Braun, Green and Brown) only contributed nine points.
Murray was the only bright spot with 16 first half points.
“He was our best player of the series,” said Jokic, lavishing praise on Murray.
Malone acknowledged it was a miracle that the Nuggets were able to fight back to take a one-point lead to the locker room at halftime. He couldn’t understand what had fallen apart. The fans couldn’t figure out what was wrong with two of the best players.
The biggest mystery was the off shooting nights of Jokic and MPJ. Buckets that normally come easy were more painful to watch than grandpa in the bathtub.
“If Michael Porter is taking good shots and missing them, I want him to keep shooting it because he’s too good of a shooter,” said Malone. “If he starts turning down those shots, that’s when we have a problem.”
MPJ was a staggering 0-for-7 through three quarters of play. Zero points!
Enough was enough. MPJ broke his scoreless streak by taking a pass, driving to the hoop for a two-hand slam.
In the game’s final two minutes, MPJ came up clutch, drilling two enormously important three-pointers.
“I’m not tripping about misses and makes,” said MPJ. “I need to stick with it and have a next play mentality. (The shots) went in when they needed to, so that was good.”
That being said, it wasn’t a stellar night for shooting for the forward. MPJ only hit 3-of-10 (two three-pointers) from the field. Malone pointed out Porter Jr.’s 10 rebounds helped even out an unbalanced performance.
It appears to be a welcomed relief that Malone isn’t going to pull him. MPJ clearly knows this now. It’s a weight off his chest.
“He’s our best shooter,” said Jokic about MPJ’s shooting prowess. “Even if it’s a bad shot, we think it’s going in.”
Jokic was in his own weird space. Aaron Gordon laughed about what exactly is defined by an off shooting night for the Joker, as he pointed out we were talking about a guy who had a triple-double. But, there was no denying that Jokic just wasn’t himself.
He played a team high 42 minutes, finishing with 28 points, 17 rebounds and 12 assists. However, 8-of-29, including 3-of-8 from beyond the arc, was officially an off night.
Jokic would never dare complain about injuries, but he sat in his locker after the game scrolling through his phone with a gigantic ice wrap on his right wrist. This may be completely cautionary, but it was impossible to miss how his shots weren’t falling.
It didn’t seem to matter. Jokic’s confidence was never shaken. He was relentless going to the hoop. In the closing moments, despite the brilliance of Murray, it was Jokic with the ball in hand taking and making the shots.
The crowd, furiously waved their white towels encouraging the Nuggets to step on the T-Wolves throats. It was a short stay, but who really wanted to look at Rudy Gobert longer than need be.
Jokic took over the final minutes, scoring the final eight points for the Nuggets. He did so with a quiet shrug in his stylish postgame suit. There are no more surprises for this team. They are exactly where they wanted to be with plenty of rest and prep ahead.
“To win a playoff series is hard. I’m really proud of all of our guys,” said Malone.
As Gordon was changing into his lavender suit, the media gathered around his locker, not only to chat with him about the game, but to also watch the final moments of the Suns/Clippers series. There was limited interest in who won the game. Gordon and other players said they would’ve preferred a Clippers win, as the Nuggets would prefer even more days off.
But, it’s the Suns up next. And nobody should be surprised.
“I mean, they are probably the favorites to win the championship,” said Jokic about the Nuggets next opponent.
He would go on to list every starter on the team with their specific defining characteristics. It’s obvious he’s paying attention and has been anticipating a team that relatively recently swept the Nuggets out of the playoffs.
With Kevin Durant barreling down the road in front of you, such actors as “Slo-Mo” and KAT fade quickly from the rearview mirror. The next round is a whole different ballgame.
Tell “Suns in four” guy to get ready. The rematch is here!
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