Timberwolves vs Nuggets semifinals G4
The NBA playoffs continue with the Western Conference semifinals being played between the Nuggets and the Timberwolves. Denver, who fell behind 1-2, continued to play on the road, and in this game, both sides kept their starting line-up unchanged. The Timberwolves' starting five are Towns, Gobert, Edwards, McDaniels and Conley, while the Nuggets' starting five are Jokic, Gordon, Porter, Murray and Pope. Jokic's interior matchup with Towns, Gobert, and Reed, and the backcourt star battle between Murray and Edwards are still the biggest highlights of this series.
约基奇19+6+3抢断，戈登6中6，掘金领先森林狼15分！爱德华兹23+2！
Review of the first half of the game
At the beginning of the first quarter, McDaniels hit a throw, Porter and Conley hit each other in the mid-to-long range, Edwards and Jokic hit each other in the low post, Edwards scored on a mid-range shot, and Gordon returned a long-range shot. Towns made 1 of 2 free throws, Edwards scored from the outside, Jokic hit a hook shot, Edwards scored a layup, and Malone called a timeout. Murray scored in the middle of the shot, Towns missed consecutive shots and missed, Jokic scored 2+0, Edwards and McDaniels hit 2 free throws, Reed scored from the outside, and Gordon and Jokic scored in the restricted area.
Gordon dunked
Reggie Jackson hit a long shot, and Finch called a timeout. Gordon hit a 2+1 shot, and then sent a big hat, Reggie Jackson scored again from the outside, Jokic hit 1 of 2 free throws, and the Nuggets exploded into a 12-0 offensive frenzy. Walker scored from mid-range, Jokic blocked Conley, and Jokic scored with a hook shot. At the end of the first quarter, the Nuggets led 29-24, and Towns was 0-of-7 in the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Holiday scored from the outside, Reed and Braun each had a strong offensive basket, Holiday hit another three-pointer, Gordon scored in the low post, Braun used the impact to score points, and Finch asked for a timeout. Conley hit a jumper, Holiday hit 1 of 2 free throws, Jokic made a jumper, and the Nuggets went on a 17-6 offensive spree to extend the margin to 16 points.
Towns defends Jokic
Edwards pulled a layup to score points, Jokic and Reed fought in the restricted area, Murray scored on a mid-range shot, and Reed dunked violently. Gobert made 1 of 2 free throws, Jokic scored on a solo shot, Towns scored on a hook, Edwards hit a jumper, and Malone called a timeout. Edwards scored on a layup, and the Timberwolves responded with an 11-4 run to bring the margin to single digits. Gordon dunked, Towns hit a mid-range shot, Jokic dunked, and Edwards responded with a three-pointer.
Gordon dunked again, McDaniels scored on a mid-range shot, followed by two missed free throws, and Edwards made another mid-range shot to give the Timberwolves just seven points behind. Pope scored from the outside, Jokic assisted Porter for a layup after a steal, Murray made a steal and blasted a three-pointer at the buzzer, and the Nuggets responded with an 8-0 attack. At halftime, the Timberwolves trailed 49-64.
Murray blasted into the half-court to make a long-range shot
Jokic made a 19+6+3 steal
Nuggets interior giant Nikola Jokic played 21 minutes in the first half, shooting 9-of-15, 0-of-2 three-pointers, and 1-of-3 free throws, scoring 19 points, 6 boards, 4 assists, 3 steals and 1 block. Jokic shot a team-high 60 percent from the field and was on fire on the offensive end. Moreover, Jokic was also the steal king of both teams in the first half. Meanwhile, Jokic grabbed the most rebounds in the first half of the team. On both ends of the floor, Jokic showed his all-around skills.
Jokic defends Conley
Jokic's wonderful play was the key to the Nuggets' 16-point lead at one point.
Gordon was 6 of 6
Nuggets starting power forward Aaron Gordon played 20 minutes in the first half, shooting 6-of-6, 1-of-1 from three-point range and 1-of-1 from the free-throw line, finishing with 14 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 1 block. Gordon shot 100 percent from the field and scored the second-highest first half of the team. Gordon shared the offensive load with Jokic and Murray, and his plus/minus was a team-high +18.
Gordon defends Downs
In addition, Gordon completed multiple violent dunks on the inside, showing top physical fitness. At the same time, Gordon's performance on the defensive end has been extremely eye-catching. Under his main defense, Timberwolves interior big man Towns made 1 of 10 in the first half and scored only 3 points.
Edwards 23+2
Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards played 22 minutes in the first half, shooting 9-of-12, 3-of-4 from three-point range and 2-of-2 from the free-throw line, finishing with 23 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists and 1 steal. Edwards was on fire, shooting 75 percent from the field to score the highest first half of the game for both teams. Edwards also shoots 75 percent from long range and is aggressive on the offensive end.
Edwards
Edwards' breakaway was unusually sharp and his long-range shot was hot. However, in the first half, the Timberwolves were the only Edwards to score in double figures. Edwards needed other teammates to step up and help the Timberwolves continue to score points in the second half.