It was supposed to be a high scoring affair. A physical embodiment of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets seasons; lacking defense that leads to endless buckets.
It was supposed to be Jimmy Butler’s return. Butler was activated before the game but stayed in his warmups all 48 minutes.
It was supposed to be determined by Karl-Anthony Towns and Nikola Jokic. Jokic had his worst game in months (16 points on 6-of-20 shooting) and Towns fouled out before it was over.
It was supposed to be an opportunity for the Wolves to all but stamp their ticket to the playoffs for the first time since the Bush presidency. Instead, a 100-96 Denver victory has all but evened the scales between two teams salivating for playoff experience.
With a victory in Denver, Minnesota would have been in a three-way tie for the 5th seed with the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder. The loss now ties the Wolves for the eighth seed with none other than the Nuggets.
The positive nugget that looms is the fact that the Wolves still hold the tiebreaker over Denver — with a 2-1 head-to-head record. But this feels demoralizing.
The game was there for the taking and with just over three minutes remaining there was a fight that suggested the Wolves weren’t ready to fold. A loose ball scramble ended with Jeff Teague dropping the ball off to Towns for a bucket that would tie the game at 90.
The very next possession, Nemanja Bjelica — who had reverted back to the hesitancy that has plagued his off games — stepped into a 3 that sort of, kind of felt like a dagger.
Jim Petersen, on the Timberwolves broadcast, suggested the sequence could be a pivotal moment that the team would look back on as a turning point for not only the game but the season.
That was ultimately not the case.
Moments later, Towns picked up a silly sixth foul, and it was over. With Andrew Wiggins — who scored a silent 9 total points — completely missing in action for all 48 minutes, the Minnesota offense was completely dependent on Towns. And without him, it was a slow death.
Sans the team’s creator, the final two minutes were filled with Teague and Taj Gibson isolations; because when Wiggins was called upon, he couldn’t get rid of the ball quick enough. The hierarchy became clear: Teague and if he’s doubled, then Gibson.
In other words, this can be translated to what has been a prevailing narrative in Minnesota since Feb. 23, when Butler went down: This team is almost nothing without its leader.
It is unclear when Butler will be back-in-action, yet abundantly clear that the Wolves need him. End of game execution is void without their star as is, well, winning.
Locked-in, Lockdown Gibson
Amidst the futility was a monster of a game from Taj Gibson. The Wolves heart and soul without Butler led all Wolves scorers not named Karl with 17 points. Gibson dominated the boards with a game- and season-high 14 rebounds. But where he truly made his mark was in defending one of Denver’s primary offensive options on Thursday night — Paul Millsap.
Prior to Thursday, Denver was on a 3-game winning streak against playoff teams and Millsap was averaging 26 points during the stretch. He scored 12 against the Wolves because Gibson swallowed him.
It was this all night. Gibson’s one-on-one defense allowed the other four Wolves defenders to stay home — a boon against a Nuggets offense that thrives on ball movement.
The 32-year-old will receive no consideration for an All-NBA defensive team because the Wolves defense as a whole is an albatross. However, it is this exact type of play that would earn him consideration if he were even on even an average team defense.
A Whole Lot Of Nothing From The Bench
The highly questionable three-guard group of Tyus Jones, Derrick Rose, and Jamal Crawford actually didn’t crater points in this game — they were a plus-8 by my calculation.
But it was a game the team needed a big lift from their second-unit. With Butler on the shelf, Crawford didn’t score in the second half. Jones didn’t score the entire game. And Rose was only able to tally four points; without accruing a single rebound or assist.
Add a bench rotation shift to the laundry list of beneficial changes coming once Butler returns.
Towns Dominated Jokic
The Wolves opted to defend Jokic with Towns while the Nuggets cross-matched; Jokic defended Gibson for most of the game.
Towns dropped 26 points on Millsap but perhaps more impressive is the fact that he helped limit Jokic to 6-of-20 shooting. The Nuggets’ big man did miss some open looks, but it was clear that Towns helped hinder Jokic’s performance.
Even more encouraging was his defensive impact beyond the Jokic matchup. Often times, Towns can become hyper-focused on his man. On Thursday night, he took major strides in acknowledging the initial matchup while also being aware of his secondary duties.
This play ends up in Denver’s favor, but Towns’ work is on point. He closes out hard onto Jokic and then quickly shifts into moving with and then contesting Will Barton’s shot at the rim.
Being the tentpole of a good defense requires performing multiple jobs effectively. Thursday night suggested Towns is beginning to intuit that truth. Now, if he could only avoid that foul trouble.
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