The battle for the first place in the West
The first set of matchups in the Western Conference playoffs is confirmed, and that is the Clippers facing the Mavericks, which is definitely a familiar drama for many fans. However, for the top two teams in the West, who their opponents will be until the end of the play-offs. Nuggets and Timberwolves, the two teams currently have the same record, and everyone has a chance to top the first place in the West, of course, the Thunder behind them is not without a chance, after all, in this game, the Nuggets ushered in the challenge of the Timberwolves at home.
The Nuggets are all on the court, Jokic and Murray are on the court, which ensures the competitiveness of the team, although the Timberwolves lack Towns, but this period of time can hold the first position in the West, which shows how strong this team is. Edwards is the absolute core of the team, and the league's No. 1 defensive efficiency is an effective underpinning.
The Nuggets take on the Timberwolves
At the beginning of the first quarter of the game, the Timberwolves dominated the game, Edwards got 6 points, 1 rebound and 3 assists, Conley also had 5 points, 1 rebound and 1 assist, Morris scored 2 three-pointers, and the team scored 28 points in a single quarter, while the Nuggets only scored 26 points, of which Jokic scored 11 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists, and Pope had 5 points, 2 rebounds and 1 style. After returning from the game in the second quarter, the Timberwolves felt down, Edwards only had 4 points, 1 rebound and 1 assist, Conley scored 5 points, 1 rebound and 1 steal, Gobert got 7 points and 4 rebounds, but the team only scored 24 points in a single quarter.
Jokic had only three shots, six points, two rebounds and one steal, and Murray stepped up to score eight points on 3-of-4 shooting, and the team scored only 23 points in the first quarter, and at halftime, the Timberwolves led the Nuggets by three points at 52-49. In the second half, Edwards was on fire, scoring 15 points on 4-of-6 shooting, and Reed also had 5 points and 1 rebound, but the team only scored 28 points in a single quarter. Jokic dominated the game, scoring 15 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists on 6-of-8 shooting, while Murray had 7 points, 1 rebound and 1 assist, and the team scored 34 points in a single quarter, successfully surpassing the Timberwolves by 3 points.
In the final quarter of the game, Edwards did not score a point on 0 of 3 shots, Conley hit 2 three-pointers, the Nuggets did not give the Timberwolves any chance, under the leadership of Jokic, the team continued to widen the difference, after the Waters tomahawk split, the Nuggets' lead came to 16 points, and the Timberwolves had no choice but to replace the main force. In the end, the Denver Nuggets beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 116-107 at home.
The first in the West changed hands again
The Denver Nuggets won the game and managed to reclaim the No. 1 spot in the West, and it's clear that they have no fear of meeting the Lakers in the first round of the playoffs. Jokic once again showed the strength of the league's No. 1 man, with 41 points, 11 rebounds and 7 assists on 16-of-20 shooting, opposite the league's top defensive player Gobert, and, it's hard to say that Jokic went all out. Murray shot 8 of 13, with 20 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists, and was still the Nuggets' best second-in-command. Porter Jr. had 18 points, 8 rebounds and 2 assists, Pope had 9 points, 3 rebounds and 1 assist, Gordon had 5 points, 5 rebounds and 9 assists, and Watson on the bench had 3 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 6 blocks.
Facing the defending champion Denver Nuggets, Edwards was helpless, shooting 9 of 18 from the field, scoring 25 points, 2 rebounds and 4 assists, but with a plus/minus of -16, the second to last on the team. Gobert had 13 points, 15 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 1 block, and no one questioned his defense, but there really is no one in the league today who can limit Jokic. Conley shot 7-of-12 from the field, 5-of-9 from three-point range, and also had 19 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists, while Reed had 13 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists, shooting 6-of-19 from the field, and he didn't have the spirit he had when facing the Lakers.