On May 13, 2024, Beijing time, in the fourth game of the Western Conference in the semifinals of the NBA playoffs, the Denver Nuggets challenged the Minnesota Timberwolves away. In the first three games of the series between the two sides, the Timberwolves led 2-1. The Timberwolves started the series with two consecutive road wins and lost the third game at home.
Starting lineup
Minnesota Timberwolves: Anthony Edwards, Conley, Towns, Gobert, McDaniels;
Denver Nuggets: Jokic, Gordon, Jamal Murray, Porter Jr., Pope.
In the first quarter of the game between the two sides, the Timberwolves got off to a great start, but the Nuggets rebounded strongly, with Timberwolves Anthony Edwards scoring 11 points and Nuggets Jokic scoring 11 points. The Nuggets won the first quarter 29-24.
In the second quarter of the game, the Nuggets played a high disparity score, 35-25, the Timberwolves Anthony Edwards scored 12 points, the Nuggets Jokic scored 8 points, and at the end of the half, the Nuggets led by 15 points 64-49 away. The Timberwolves are getting more and more difficult.
In the third quarter, the Timberwolves were not willing to tie their hands at home, the Timberwolves Anthony Edwards scored 14 points, the Nuggets Jamal Murray scored 12 points, the Timberwolves won 30-26, and the Timberwolves trailed by 11 points at 79-90 at the end of the third quarter.
In the crucial fourth quarter, the Timberwolves narrowed the gap to only 7 points by 1 degree, and saw the hope of a comeback. But Jokic's excellent performance, scoring 16 points in a single quarter, helped the Nuggets stabilize the situation, and in the end, the Timberwolves lost 107-115 at home to the Nuggets who were playing away. The series between the two sides was tied 2-2, and in Game 5, the battle of Tianwang Mountain was played at the Nuggets' home court.
Full-time player stats
Minnesota Timberwolves: Anthony Edwards 44 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and 1 block, Conley 15 points, 2 rebounds, 9 assists and 1 steal, Towns 13 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal;
Denver Nuggets: Jokic 35 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals and 1 block, Gordon 27 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocks, Jamal Murray 19 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists and 2 steals.
With the Timberwolves at home to the Nuggets, the series between the two sides was tied 2-2, and this game produced four incredible and two indisputable facts.
Four incredible
1. In previous games, the Nuggets bench rarely played well, which was also an important flaw on the way to the Nuggets defending the championship. The substitute is always not good at the critical moment. In this game, the Nuggets bench competed for the Nuggets to defeat the Timberwolves, Braun played 24 minutes, 3 of 4, 1 of 1 three-pointers, got 11 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist, J Holiday played 19 minutes, 3 of 6, 3 of 5 three-pointers, got 10 points and 3 boards, Jackson 9 minutes, 2 of 4, 2 of 3 three-pointers, got 6 points, 2 boards and 3 assists, this is the performance given by the three substitutes, quite powerful, quite amazing. Everyone is very efficient, ready to call, ready to fight, and hopefully the three benches can continue to play efficiently in the next games, so that the Nuggets' defending champion hopes will be greatly improved.
2. Gordon's outstanding performance ensured the team's victory. Gordon, a generation of dunks, not only dunks, but also unequivocally assists Jokic. Started 40 minutes in this game, shot 11 of 12, 2 of 2 three-pointers, 3 of 3 free throws, shot almost 100%, got 27 points, 7 boards, 6 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocks, made great contributions at both ends of the offensive and defensive ends, and every shot hit the momentum of the Timberwolves with a heavy blow.
3. Contemporary Jordan Edwards once again played an MVP-level performance. started the game for 45 minutes, shot 16 of 25, shot 5 of 8 three-pointers, and the shooting rate was already very high3, scoring 44 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and 1 block, but it was difficult to speak alone, and one person could not resist the impact of the defending champion, and the team was tied 2-2 by the defending champion under a 2-0 lead. The momentum of the Nuggets has risen, the momentum of the Timberwolves is gradually declining, and this season's basketball journey is likely to end in the Western Conference semifinals.
4. Overall, the Timberwolves have played well enough, making 11 of 28 three-pointers, 28 of 54 two-pointers, and slightly lower free throws, 18 of 27. The five starters all scored double-doubles, helplessly, the Timberwolves met Gordon who was in full swing, the still steady Jokic and the three Nuggets substitutes who were in excellent condition, even if Porter Jr. and Pope did not play well on the offensive end, the Nuggets still crushed the Timberwolves all over the court, this is the strength of the defending champions, and the Timberwolves still need to continue to exercise if they want to win the championship.
Two facts are indisputable
1. Basketball is a team sport, not an individual sport. Basketball is a five-a-side sport, not a one-person sport, basketball is a collision of bodies, a confrontation of strength, and a soft egg can't win the game. The Nuggets are very tough in this game, like a tiger and wolf division, the Timberwolves lead 2-0, after Downs' first excellent performance, the performance is getting more and more sluggish, the performance is getting weaker and weaker, the free throws in this game are not sticky, Downs's slump makes Edwards fall into a lonely battle, the first ten shots are one hit, so that the Timberwolves are too far behind, the NBA playoffs to watch the performance of the stars, Downs as the champion show, as the second leader of the Timberwolves, should come up with a tougher performance, only in this way, can not let Edwards's magical performance become useless. On the contrary, Jokic not only played well, but also had helpers, Gordon, Murray and three efficient bench players. The Nuggets fell behind 0-2 and won two games in a row, and the two sides fought 2-2, the Nuggets' momentum has come up, and the Timberwolves have fallen into passivity.
2, the Timberwolves are still too young, details determine success or failure, a simple dribbling error, a simple serving error, the score was instantly pulled away, this is the price the Timberwolves pay for their youth, the Nuggets, as the defending champions, are too mature, not only cooperate tacitly, but also do not rush on the court, play at their own pace, disrupt the rhythm of the Timberwolves, from 0-2 to 2, the defending champion is indeed superior.