Nuggets Road Victory Ties Series Up
Are the Denver Nuggets gaining momentum? A series that started out in the Minnesota Timberwolves favor as they went up 2-0 on the reigning NBA Champions heading back to their home court no longer looks that way as Denver was able to tie things up on Sunday night 2-2 in Minnesota. If we learned anything from this Game Four it was that the Nuggets look just as if not more comfortable on the road, especially the unstoppable pick-and-roll play call from Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic, and that Anthony Edwards is going to need more help if Minnesota wants to close this series out and head to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2004. Neither of these teams has won at home in this series heading into Game Five which is not a commonality at all in the playoffs of really any sport, but only time will tell if that continues. Let’s take a look at how Denver won this one!
From the opening tip-off of this matchup, with this being a very critical Game Four, it was easy to see that both teams not only wanted but needed to win. However, it was the Nuggets who quickly established their presence with Jokic leading the charge with his exceptional playmaking skills and scoring ability. Jokic’s versatility as always on the court proved to be a significant factor as he orchestrated the offense with precision, notching an impressive 35 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists. Supporting Jokic’s stellar performance was Aaron Gordon, whose athleticism and scoring ability added another dimension to the Nuggets offense in this game. Gordon’s explosive drives to the basket and perimeter shooting kept the Timberwolves’ defense on its toes, as he finished the game with a remarkable 27 points and seven rebounds, only missing one of the twelve shot attempts he took. While his play might have gone more unnoticed tonight than normal with Jokic and Gordon’s stellar performances, Murray also had a solid outing finishing with 19 points and eight assists.
Despite facing a relentless Nuggets squad, Edwards gave everything he had for Minnesota on Sunday night finishing with 44 points. While Edwards was fantastic on every play he made in this one he could not get the normal amount of help he receives from his partner in crime Karl-Anthony Towns as Towns was not his normal self, shooting 5-18 from the field. While the Timberwolves may have fallen short in this one, they cannot give up yet as Edwards so well said after the last game, “It’s a series bruh, we good. First to four games.” However, as Minnesota heads back to Denver for Game Five they have to know that it is a must-win game for them because they do not want to go down 3-2 to the defending champs. In order for that not to happen Towns and Rudy Gobert, among other Timberwolves’ members are going to have to step things up a notch. Can Minnesota stop this Denver team who seems to be on a never-ending roll or will the Nuggets advance to their second straight Western Conference Finals, one step closer to becoming back-to-back NBA Champions?
