Nuggets vs. Timberwolves
Minnesota's Timberwolves, in the process of playing against the Nuggets in the second round, were able to win games one after another at the opponent's home court, thus completing the state of 6 consecutive wins in the playoffs, and taking the lead with a score of 2-0 in the Western Conference semifinals. Obviously, we can no longer use the world's eyes to see this team that has just risen, and the Wolves undoubtedly have the strength to impact the championship trophy. Their twin champions, as well as their inner twin tower lineup, have become hugely disruptive.
However, after returning to the home court, the Timberwolves still encountered a strong counterattack from the Nuggets and failed to win the series with a 3-0 score. There is no doubt that the Nuggets, as a team aspiring to defend the championship, will not choose to compromise easily. In their back-to-back losses, they have found a way to win against the Timberwolves. In this G4 battle, the Nuggets were able to stabilize the situation again, with a total score of 115-107, and won the final victory.
Specific competition
In the first half of the competition, the Nuggets who were fighting away were in a hot state, and the difference between the two teams was widened one after another. In the first quarter of the game, Jokic played a full 12 minutes of the game, shooting 5 of 7, 1 of 3 free throws, delivering 11 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 1 block, and Gordon, who handed over 8 points, 2 rebounds and 1 block, helped the team play a 29-24 score and get a 5-point lead. Entering the second quarter of the matchup, the Nuggets were able to take advantage of the situation and continue to play a 35-25 score with the help of Jokic with 8 points, 1 rebound, 3 assists and 2 steals, Murray with 5 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal, and Gordon with 6 points, 2 rebounds and 3 assists.
The Nuggets, who expanded the margin to 15 points, finally encountered a counterattack from the Timberwolves. In the third quarter of the game, Edwards stepped up and played 12 minutes, shooting 5-of-9 from the field and 2-of-2 from the free-throw line, delivering 14 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal, and Towns also had 8 points and 2 rebounds, successfully scoring 30-26 and narrowing the gap to 11 points. In the final quarter of the decisive game, the Timberwolves, although they tried to reverse, only played a score of 28-25. In the end, the four quarters of regular time were over, and the Nuggets won the final victory with a total score of 115-107.
epilogue
Looking back at the statistics of the game, the Nuggets, who refused to reverse the opponent, had 5 players score double-doubles, and the efficiency was still very good. Among them, Jokic, as the team's big leader, played 39 minutes, shot 15 of 26, delivered a team-high 35 points, and 7 rebounds and 7 assists, and the second leader Murray also had 19 points, 5 rebounds and 8 assists, and Gordon, who shot 11 of 12 and sent 27 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists, effectively relieved the pressure on the team in all aspects. After winning this game, the Nuggets once again denied the opponent a match point and dragged the series into the battle of Tianwang Mountain.
Looking at the Timberwolves who lost at home, although they failed to complete the reversal, they still have a lot of commendability. First up was their champion Edwards, who played 46 minutes and shot 5-of-8 from three-point range and 16-of-25 from the field, scoring a game-high 44 points, as well as 5 rebounds and 5 assists. However, after Edwards sent explosive data, Towns only had 13 points, 12 rebounds and 3 assists, and Gobert only contributed 11 points and 14 rebounds, and the efficiency was not very ideal.