On May 11, Beijing time, in the Western Conference semifinals of the NBA playoffs G3, the Timberwolves played against the Nuggets at home.
In the regular season, the Timberwolves are 56-26 and ranked third in the West, and the Nuggets are 57-25 and ranked second in the West. The Timberwolves are averaging 113 points per game and conceding 106.5 points per game, while the Nuggets are averaging 114.9 points per game and 109.6 points per game.
The two teams met 4 times in the regular season, with each other achieving a 2-2 record, and after the playoffs Western Conference Finals G2 was played, the Timberwolves won 2 games in a row on the road, leading 2-0.
In the G2 game, the Timberwolves beat the Nuggets 106-80 in Gobert's absence, Edwards and Towns each scored 27 points, Edwards had another 7 assists, Towns also had 12 rebounds and 2 blocks, Alexander Walker and Naz Reed both scored 14 points on the bench, the two combined to deliver 7 blocks, Walker 3, Reed 4, the team sent 12 blocks in a single game, and only Edwards did not have a block in the regular rotation.
The defending champion Nuggets did not score more than 100 points in the two Western Conference semifinals, and the whole team only scored 80 points in the G2 battle, Jokic contributed 16 points, 16 rebounds and 8 assists, Aaron Gordon scored 20 points, Justin Holiday scored 13 points, and Murray, who escaped the ban by throwing debris, only scored 8 points on 3-of-18 shooting.
The Nuggets averaged 103.1 points per game in the playoffs, conceded 106.3 points per game, and only 4 people on the team averaged double-doubles per game, regular season MVP Jokic averaged 27 points, 15 rebounds, 9.4 assists and 1.3 steals per game, Murray averaged 20.4 points, 5.3 rebounds and 6 assists per game, but the shooting rate was only 37.5%, and the three-point shooting rate of Murray and Jokic was 28.6%. Porter Jr. is averaging 20.4 points and 7.6 rebounds per game, Gordon is averaging 14 points, eight rebounds and 4.4 assists per game, and Pope is averaging 7.4 points per game.
According to the official injury report, Nuggets players Pope, Reggie Jackson and Murray are all doubtful for this game.
The Timberwolves averaged 114.2 points per game and conceded 98.7 points per game in the playoffs, and seven players on the team averaged double-doubles per game, Edwards averaged 32.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.8 steals per game, Towns averaged 20.7 points and 9 rebounds per game, Gobert averaged 13.2 points, 11.4 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game, Walker and Reed both averaged 11.3 points per game, Conley averaged 10.8 points, 6.8 assists and 1.2 steals per game, and McDaniels averaged 10.3 points and 5.2 rebounds per game.
Entering the playoffs, the Timberwolves' offensive performance has been greatly improved, ranking 2nd in offensive efficiency, 4th in defensive efficiency, 3rd in shooting percentage of 48.8%, 4th in three-point shooting percentage of 37.6%, ranking 1st in true shooting percentage, and ranking 2nd in interior scoring average of 51 points per game.
The Nuggets' overall playoff performance has declined, ranking 12th in offensive efficiency, 7th in defensive efficiency, 11th in shooting percentage of 44.8%, 12th in three-point shooting percentage of 32.2%, 12th in true shooting percentage, and 3rd in interior scoring average of 50.3 points per game.
Although the core players are not as experienced in the playoffs as the Nuggets, but the G1 and G2 games Timberwolves performed impeccable on the road, and the Timberwolves will inevitably be more handy when they return to their home court.