On May 11, Beijing time, NBA playoffs Western Conference semifinals G3, Timberwolves (2) home vs Nuggets (0). The Nuggets' lives hang by a thread and they can't afford to lose again today. Nuggets starters: Murray, Pope, Porter Jr., Gordon, Jokic. Timberwolves: Conley, Edwards, McDaniels, Towns, Gobert.
A number of Timberwolves players won awards, and a small award ceremony was held before the game: Reed was the sixth man of the season, Gobert was the best defensive player, and Towns was awarded the Social Justice Championship Award. Gobert missed the last game because of the birth of the child, but Reed stepped up on the defensive end: G2 faced Reed defense, and Nuggets players shot 0-of-11.
Speaking of the game, as soon as Murray got the ball, the Timberwolves fans booed. G2 Murray threw debris into the court and was fined $100,000 by the NBA. In the face of boos from the audience, Murray broke out instead: he played 12 minutes in the first quarter, scoring 8 points, 1 rebound and 1 assist on 4-of-6 shooting. Porter Jr. scored 8 points in the first quarter, and he only scored 9 points in the last game of G2.
The Timberwolves were a little too obsessed with outside shooting, shooting just 3-of-11 from three-point range in the first quarter and the Nuggets made 2-of-5 from three-point range. The Nuggets changed their slow heat, and at the end of the first quarter, the Nuggets led by eight points at 28-20. The Timberwolves had three turnovers in the first quarter, while the Nuggets had zero turnovers. Just four minutes into the second quarter, the Nuggets went on a 14-5 run to take a 17-point lead.
Then the referee blew the whistle frequently, McDaniels and Porter Jr. both committed three fouls, and the offensive rhythm of both teams was disrupted. The first two blows were good, and the game was full of physical confrontation. In the first half today, the Timberwolves only had Towns on the line: 4-of-4 from three-point range in the half. Edwards was 1-of-4 from three-point range, Conley was 1-of-5 from the field and Reed was 0-of-2.
The Timberwolves made 6-of-20 three-pointers in the first half and the Nuggets made 6-of-12. Again, they were all six three-pointers, and the Nuggets took eight fewer shots. The Timberwolves were too stretched on offense, scoring 20 points in the first quarter and 21 points in the second. At the end of the first half, the Nuggets led by a full 15 points at 56-41. Murray had 18 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists on 8-of-13 shooting in the half, and Jokic had 7 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists.
Kudos must be given to Justin Holiday for scoring six points on 2-of-2 three-pointers in the half. In this series, he made 7-of-10 three-pointers. In the first round against the Lakers, Holiday made 1-of-9 three-pointers. On the Timberwolves' side, Edwards scored 9 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists on 4-of-8 shooting in the half, with a plus/minus of -10. Towns finished with 12 points and four rebounds on 4-of-6 shooting. Plus or minus -14.
At the beginning of the second half, Gobert defended Aaron Gordon, Gobert couldn't defend it, and Gordon hit three three-pointers in a row. In the series with the Lakers, Gordon made 1-of-10 three-pointers. With 7:41 left in the third quarter, the Nuggets already led by 22 points. Fortunately, Edwards stepped up, two three-pointers + breakthrough layups, and one person scored 10 points in a row.
Towns was completely lost in the third quarter, his teammates couldn't give Edwards enough help, and the team led the team to stop the opponent again, and the Timberwolves home fans were quiet. In the stage when Huazi was chasing points, Jokic showed the strength of MVP, and continued to play Towns and Gobert under the basket. At the end of the third quarter, the Nuggets led by 27 points at 93-66!
In this year's playoffs, Murray suffered a left calf strain and did not fully recover. From G2 to G3, after three days of rest, Murray was in significantly better shape today. In the fourth quarter, the Nuggets stayed on the court and led by 34 points in the final quarter. There was no suspense, the full-time was over, and the Nuggets beat the Timberwolves 117-90, with a total score of 1-2!
Jokic had 24 points, 14 rebounds, 9 assists, 3 steals and 3 blocks, Murray had 24 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals, and Porter Jr. had 21 points and 4 rebounds. Nuggets Trident 24+24+21, who can withstand this? Edwards had 19 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists, and Towns had 14 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists, and only scored 2 points in the second half. Finally, let's take a look at the detailed data and tell us how you feel: