In the quiet and calm of an off day at Ball Arena, the Nuggets were at ease with the discomfort of their situation Sunday after losing a close series opener to the Timberwolves. But coach Michael Malone had an honest assessment of his team in response to a reporter’s question after Denver’s film session.
How was Malone feeling about his squad’s level of hunger and desire to repeat as NBA champions?
“At some point, man, you’ve gotta stop doing the same thing. We’ve gotta do a better job, and our starters in particular have to do a better job of being ready to play and setting the tone early,” Malone said, gaining momentum as he talked.
“What are we waiting for? Now we’re down 0-1. What are you waiting for? Like, we all know that going back to Minnesota down 0-2 is not the ideal situation. So I think tomorrow night to start the game, you’ll have your answer. If we come out the same way, lackadaisical, not physical, not urgent — well then there’s an issue there. A deeper-lying issue than stopping Anthony Edwards. Where is our mental at? And I fully expect our guys to be ready to go tomorrow. I’d be shocked if they weren’t.”
The Denver Nuggets officially have a deeper-lying issue to sort out after an exhausting, aggravating, demoralizing 106-80 loss to the Timberwolves in Game 2 of their second-round series Monday night.
The Nuggets will fly to Minneapolis staring up and out of a 2-0 series hole. They must win four of the next five games, three of which are on the road, to keep their season alive.
For now, Edwards and his ruthless pack of Wolves are pouring cold water on Denver’s dreams of a repeat championship. The 22-year-old scored another 27 points in the shocking blowout at altitude. Karl-Anthony Towns added a double-double with 27 points and 12 rebounds. The Timberwolves, who have not lost a game in the 2024 playoffs, shot 51% from the field after a 71% clip in the second half of Game 1. They led by as many as 32 points.
They didn’t even have the Defensive Player of the Year favorite to assist their efforts. Rudy Gobert was not at Game 2 due to personal reasons, prevented from flying back to Denver partially by strong winds in Colorado. Unlike the Nuggets, Minnesota took the adversity in stride.
Backup center Naz Reid built on his clutch fourth quarter with another 14 points and four blocks. Kyle Anderson impacted the game with a physicality and play-making ability that Denver lacked. He had nine rebounds, eight assists and two steals while filling Gobert’s starting spot. All three Minnesota bigs hassled Nikola Jokic and made him as irrelevant as he has been in the last four years. The two-time MVP finished with 16 points, 16 rebounds and four turnovers.
He attempted just 13 shots after Malone implored him to be more aggressive.
The Nuggets were swallowed whole by the Wolves’ intensity. All that Malone feared and warned against came to pass. Players, as well as Malone, griped with the lack of fouls called early in the game, without rising to match the requisite physicality and take advantage of the missing whistle.
The starters lingered longer without getting down big, but it was still 28-20 Minnesota after the first quarter. A second unit featuring both Reggie Jackson and a hobbled Jamal Murray quickly unraveled. The Wolves went on an 11-0 run over three minutes to start the second quarter and never looked back.
As home-court advantage slipped away, frustration on Denver’s bench culminated in Murray being caught by television cameras seeming to throw a heat pack on the floor, near the spot where official Marc Davis was standing on the baseline. Neither Murray nor the bench faced consequences during the game.
Murray shot 3 of 18 for eight points to go with two assists and four turnovers, one day after insisting his left calf injury is no excuse for poor performances. Aaron Gordon led the Nuggets with 20 points. Jackson limped to the locker room with a leg injury during the fourth quarter after a 17-4 Denver run.
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