MINNEAPOLIS – The Denver Nuggets were simply too determined, too experienced, too proud and too talented to let their failure in the first two games define this series against the emerging Minnesota Timberwolves.
That’s what defending NBA champions do: calm a noisy crowd, accept the boos and regain momentum.
Jamal Murray bounced back from a rough start in the Western Conference semifinals with 24 points to lead the Nuggets on a 117-90 adventure Friday night in Game 3 that made the Timberwolves the last NBA team to lose in this postseason. season.
“Honestly, it makes you better because you have to respond,” said Murray, who was booed every time he touched the ball. “It just makes you have to focus and be there for your teammates.”
Three-time league MVP Nikola Jokic had 24 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists, Michael Porter Jr. scored 21 points and the Nuggets cut Minnesota’s series lead to 2-1 on the strength of their 14-of-29 shooting. 3-Point Range.
Anthony Edwards had a quiet 19 points to lead the Wolves, who shot just 10 of 32 from deep, despite Karl-Anthony Towns’ 4-of-5 shooting. They couldn’t make enough shots for Towns (14 points) and played slower than they did in the first two games in Denver, falling behind by as many as 34 points.
“I will take the blame for this loss. I left without any energy. I can’t afford to do that for my team. I let my team down, my coaches down, my fans down,” Edwards said. “I’ll be ready on Sunday.”
The Nuggets became the 30th team in NBA playoff history to lose the first two home games in a best-of-seven series. Five came together to win.
“You’re always testing and finding out about human nature and what guys are made of,” Nuggets coach Mike Malone said.
This was the step forward Denver badly needed, breaking the 100-point barrier for the first time in three games against Minnesota’s best defense in the NBA.
“Everything was sharp. Everything happened quickly,” said Jokic.
Murray, who had just 25 points on 9-of-32 shooting with a minus-38 rating in the first two games, received a $100,000 fine from the NBA for throwing a cooler bag onto the floor from the bench.
The stone-faced point guard thrived on a mix of jumpers and fadeaways set up by dribbles, clearly with more spring in his step after three days to rest the tight left calf muscle that has hampered him in recent weeks. . Jokic and Aaron Gordon helped spark the attack, easing the ball control burden from Murray.
“His teammates freed him, but he was aggressive and saw the ball go in early,” Malone said. “I think he likes those moments where he’s the bad guy.”
Not only did the defending champions bring the energy they promised would return after their home no-show, but they also got enough shots right to help keep the Wolves and their active rotations honest. The whistles went up and Wolves’ defensive ace Jaden McDaniels was limited by serious problems.
After sweeping Phoenix and dominating Denver in the first two games, the Wolves received their first reality check after their impressive Game 2 dominance in Denver. The chant “Lobos em 4!” which broke out just before the opening cue was quickly abandoned.
The Nuggets controlled the noise by taking a 28-20 lead after the first quarter, their biggest lead of the series to date, and didn’t stop there. They were up 20 points at the end of the second quarter.
The Wolves got NBA Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert back after he missed Game 2 for the birth of his son, but the Nuggets shot the ball so well outside the paint that his long arms weren’t a factor. .
Gordon hit back-to-back three-pointers and Porter hit one on the next possession midway through the third quarter to make it 72-50 and stop another mini-Wolves rally.
At the start of the fourth, fans began to leave their seats. Frustrated with the accumulation of calls against them throughout the night, Wolves reserves Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Kyle Anderson were slapped with technical fouls during a timeout with 5:54 remaining for arguing with the referees.
“We earned the right to be talked about, but ultimately we knew they were going to try to make a series out of it,” Alexander-Walker said.
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