The Timberwolves have made life rough on Jamal Murray and the Nuggets.
MINNEAPOLIS — If you didn’t know which of these teams won the NBA championship last season, you’d be convinced it was the Timberwolves.
They’ve owned everything in this Western Conference semifinals through two games: they’re quicker to the ball, tougher, more efficient, blessed with the superior superstar and are levels higher defensively.
It’s Minnesota 2-0, by a wide margin, over the Nuggets and the next two games are at Target Center. Rudy Gobert, the freshly-named Kia Defensive Player of the Year who missed the last game because of the birth of his first child, returns to the lineup. What’s not to like from the Wolves’ standpoint?
This team is restless, hungry, smells blood and a spotless 6-0 through the playoffs. The Nuggets are reeling and vulnerable, for the first time in the last two postseasons.
Therefore: Here are four things to look for in Game 3 (9:30 ET, ESPN):
1. Moment of truth for Murray
The good news is Jamal Murray didn’t hit anyone with that heat pack in Game 2. The bad news for the Nuggets is he hasn’t hit many shots, either, in this series.
Murray is one of the coldest — in a negative way — designated scorers in the playoffs, period. He shooting 37.5% overall in the playoffs and 28.6% on 3-pointers. These playoffs would be miserable for him were it not for those game-winners against the Lakers.
Yes, Murray is dealing with a sore calf, but he wasn’t hitting shots before he tweaked it. Having a wounded calf and missing jumper puts the Nuggets in a bind, too. Lastly, his pick-and-roll with Nikola Jokic is critical to Denver’s success.
“Jamal will bounce back,” said Nuggets coach Michael Malone. “Jamal’s not making any excuses and I’m not making any excuses for Jamal Murray.”
The Nuggets didn’t help themselves when they failed to address the need for a solid backup at point guard — opting to forego that move both in the offseason (when they lost key pieces off the bench) and at the trade deadline. Christian Braun isn’t a dependable shooter or playmaker, and Reggie Jackson is limping.
This means that against this tremendous Minnesota defense, the Nuggets lack options at that position.
It’s too bad for Murray. He made his reputation in this league by rising in the postseason and injuries prevented his making any All-Star or All-NBA teams in his career.
“I’m just doing what I can to give my team what they need out there,” he said. “I haven’t been shooting great but I expect the next game to be different.”
2. More aggression from Jokic, or else
He now has three Kia MVPs in four years and that stretch of dominance compares with the greats in NBA history. We’ve certainly seen Jokic at his best. Which makes what we’re seeing now seem so weird.
He’s not as forceful, especially in the paint. He’s reckless with the ball. And there were times in Game 2 when his body language screamed … surrender.
This isn’t “The Joker” who ruled the first round against the Lakers, or who triple-doubled his way through the 2023 playoffs. He seems spooked by the Wolves and specifically, Minnesota’s size, at least in Game 2.
Here’s another reason it’s weird — Jokic averaged a 33.3 points and a double-double against the Wolves during the regular season. He looks for his shot and takes satisfaction when Gobert defends him.
In this series, the Wolves are not only sending a platoon of bigs, all giving different looks — Gobert, Karl-Anthony Towns, Naz Reid, Kyle Anderson — their guards are crashing as soon as Jokic puts the ball on the floor. That’s partly why he has 11 turnovers in this series.
The Nuggets will need Jokic to be more selfish (which isn’t his nature) if only to ease the burden from Murray and make him more comfortable. That could force the Wolves to make adjustments.
“He’s just got look to be more aggressive,” Malone said. “If they’re not doubling, he’s got to look to make more shots.”
3. Edwards going all-out
The beauty of witnessing the development of a projected superstar is the attitude he’s unleashing. All the greats bring a measure of nastiness, a show-no-mercy approach from tip to buzzer.
Not only is Anthony Edwards dropping shots and dunking on heads, but he’s also laughing, smiling and talking as he does it. He’s out to break open the game and break spirits. Because if you do both, the opponent is left dizzy and develops a sense of doom.
Those opponents then feel defeated, and that’s the intent of this Anthony Edwards Experience as it takes the league by storm.
The atmosphere at Target Center for Game 3 will be festive. Edwards will allow himself to be swept up in the emotion. If he gets off to a great start — and he hasn’t had a tough stretch in this postseason yet — he’ll win the crowd and add another layer of worry for the Nuggets.
Edwards knows (and the Nuggets do, too) what a 3-0 lead means in a best-of-seven NBA playoff series. Sometimes math ain’t hard.
Anthony Edwards and the Wolves go up 2-0 on the Nuggets, while the young Thunder topple the Mavs in Game 1.
4. McDaniels coming of age
The craziest stat in these playoffs involves a 23-year-old Wolves swingman whose name rings familiar to only the hard-core hoops audience.
Jaden McDaniels is a plus-40 through two games … and has scored five total points.
Even better: McDaniels scored those five points and the Wolves found it necessary for him to average 33 minutes in those games. That speaks to his ability to be disruptive defensively, which is at the core of Minnesota’s success.
McDaniels (6-foot-9, 185) is long, quick and guards multiple positions. The Wolves are putting him on Michael Porter Jr. to contain his 3-point shot, and using him as help on Murray to keep the guard from approaching the rim.
That’s why Edwards needed to give Williams a “shout-out” following Game 2, to let the basketball nation know what’s up.
There’s also an advantage for the Wolves: When Edwards, Towns, Reid and others are scoring, McDaniels can save energy for defense. At this rate, why should he worry about touches and shots, whether he gets them or makes them?
“He don’t complain, he just keeps guarding, keeps picking up full court,” Edwards said. “He’s definitely the X-factor of the team.”
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Shaun Powell has covered the NBA for more than 25 years. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on X.
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