At noon on May 11, Beijing time, the NBA Western Conference playoffs semifinals Timberwolves and the Nuggets started the third game of the series in Minnesota, and the defending champion who fell behind 0-2 played a wonderful game, Nikola Jokic, who had just been elected as the MVP of the regular season, showed his due value, leading the Nuggets to win 117-90 with a quasi-triple-double all-round performance, pulling the Nuggets back from the edge of the cliff. On the Nuggets' stats table, Jokic's name occupies the first place in all categories of scoring, rebounding, assists, steals and blocks, and can be called an absolute superstar.
With two straight home losses, it was very difficult to win the series, but it was clear that the Nuggets didn't give up. In the regular season Most Valuable Player selection released by the league two days ago, "Mr. Joo" was convincingly re-elected after a season by an overwhelming margin, winning the award for the third time in four years. Not only did the media select Jokic in a questionnaire of players, but there was no doubt that Jokic was also the most valuable player in the hearts of most players. Perhaps inspired and motivated by the accolade, the Serbian star worked exceptionally hard in this game, knowing he had to step up when it mattered and live up to the trust that the fans placed in him.
After the opening game, the Nuggets took a large lead on the rebound and suppressed the Timberwolves in the score. In the first half, due to teammate Jamal Murray's outburst, he scored 18 points in the second quarter, and he didn't show Jokic's power too much, and the "MVP" only contributed 7 points and 9 rebounds, and the Nuggets took the initiative with a 15-point lead at halftime. In the second half, "Mr. Jokic" began to play a commanding and central role, and by the end of the third quarter, Jokic's statistics had risen to 20 points, 12 rebounds and 9 assists, and he came to a quasi-triple-double. In the decisive quarter, Jokic improved his personal statistics to 24 points, 14 rebounds and 9 assists, and also made 3 successful steals and 3 hot pot blocks to the opponent.
The Nuggets were able to win this game, in addition to Jokic playing at a superstar level, Murray also recovered his touch in the last game after escaping the league's punishment, scoring a team-high 24 points like Jokic, Michael Porter also scored 20, and the three scored 20+. Another factor is that the Timberwolves who returned to their home court failed to show the level they should have, "Huazi" Edwards scored a team-high score of 19 points, Towns scored 14 points, and the center Gobert who returned home played only 6 points and 4 rebounds in 27 minutes, and the whole team was out of shape.
There are very few precedents in league history where a series has gone from 2-0 down and 2-0 at home to advance, and fans are waiting to see if the Nuggets can be another team to pull off miracles.
Text/Beiqing Sports Liu Ailin