Although it seemed like it in the second game of the playoffs, the Nuggets were not dead. At the arrival of Minnesota, with an effervescent Target Center and after having lost the first two games in their own home, the champions responded as such (90-117). There has not yet been a local victory and there is a series where a couple of days ago it was already thought that there was nothing.
The Nuggets recovered their vital signs with the help of their usual counterparts, went over 100 points for the first time in the tie and went on to win by 34 (75-109). Nikola Jokic, in his first game since being elected NBA MVP for the third time, had 24 points, 14 rebounds, nine assists, three recoveries and three blocks. No one had ever reached those numbers in a playoff game. He returned to being the usual ‘Joker’, getting rid of the ambushes that in the first two games made him be below his level.
Jamal Murray was, as on big occasions, his best squire. He also scored 24 points, one less than in the first two games of the series combined. He forgot for a day about the strain in his left calf that has been bothering him since the first round tie against the Lakers. He was the center of the Wolves fans’ anger after in the second match, with everything lost, he threw a thermal bag onto the court while the rival attacked. He didn’t seem to care that the local fans reproached him for his thuggish attitude.
The Nuggets were very successful from three-point range, hitting 14 of their 29 shots, with 4/5 from Michael Porter Jr., who finished with 21 points. His ball movement was excellent, making the Wolves’ usually great defense always arrive a tenth too late to score shots. The return of Rudy Gobert had no influence on the clash. The Best Defender of the year returned after the birth of his son, but he stayed at six points and four rebounds.
Anthony Edwards was the best of the locals with 19 points, but he was grayer than in the previous two games, in which he dominated with authority. Karl-Anthony Towns was 4/5 in triples for 14 points, but it was also insufficient. The home fans, who were already dreaming of making it 3-0, left the stadium deeply disappointed in the final quarter while Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Kyle Anderson suffered technical injuries.
Denver became the 30th team in NBA playoff history to lose the first two games at home and win the third on the road. Only five of them managed to come back in the series: the 1969 Lakers, the 1994 Rockets, the 2005 Mavericks, the 2017 Celtics and the 2021 Clippers. Here, suddenly, there is a tie again because the Nuggets responded like champions .
2024-05-11 05:19:14
#Nuggets #respond #champions
