It was only Game 3, but the Minnesota Timberwolves were still facing a must-win game in almost every facet. They were coming off two tough losses in Denver to open the series. But they were gathering momentum in the previous matchup. With the rowdy Target Center crowd giving them a boost, Friday’s game seemed like the perfect opportunity for the team to get their first win of the series.
“Just off experience, playing against Minnesota last year and playing in the Target Center, I knew it was rowdy,” Kyle Anderson said at Friday morning shootaround. “And the fans have been great all year. So I’m expecting it to be a tough place for them to play, should be hostile. I’m feeling good about it, ready to go.”
The Moonlight Whiteout crowd brought a nice buzz to Target Center from the jump. However, there was a lack of things to get excited about as the game went on. Minnesota would ultimately fall 120-111 in Game 3, and the Denver Nuggets enter Game 4 with a 3-0 series lead.
“It’s frustrating,” said Mike Conley after Friday’s loss. “We gave ourselves a chance. Obviously, wanted to try to finish out that fourth a little bit better, a little bit tighter. But guys played hard. Had some breakdowns here and there that really allowed them to get some space down there down the stretch. As a whole, we relied on a lot of different guys to come in the game and give us minutes. It’s one that we would love to have back.
Conley, who finished with 12 points on 3-of-8 from the floor, nails it with his comments. Surprisingly, the Wolves didn’t lose this game because of a lack of trying or fighting. Instead, Denver’s offense was just humming all game long, and there was nothing the Wolves could do in hopes of containing it. The Nuggets shot a red-hot 48-of-84 (57%) from the floor and 13-of-32 (40%) from deep on Friday. Denver also had six guys score double digits or more. Their big three of Nikola Jokić, Jamal Murray, and Micheal Porter Jr. finished with a combined 63 points.
Having a team’s three best players dominate really isn’t that surprising, especially in the playoffs. However, what has made the Nuggets the best team in the West this season is the play of their supporting cast. Bruce Brown, Jeff Green, and Christain Braun – the only three bench players Mike Malone used – produced timely shots all game long. They cut and probed for openings on the court with ease.
“Their bench chipped in for 29. They got a lot of timely buckets too when they needed them out there,” Finch said after the game. “Bruce Brown floaters, and then Braun in the transition, for the most part, got us.
The opposite was true for Minnesota’s bench. Kyle Anderson and Taurean Prince were the only two players on the team’s bench who scored – finishing with 10 points total. Jaylen Nowell went 0-for-6 from the floor and 0-for-2 from three. The Nuggets have planned against the Wolves incredibly well all season, which shows mainly in the low output of numbers from the bench mob. When you are missing crucial guys like Naz Reid and Jaden McDaniels, the rest of the team needs to show up. That’s something that the Timberwolves haven’t been able to accomplish against an air-tight Denver defense.
On more of a positive note, Karl-Anthony Towns tallied 27 points and 7 boards on 10-of-17 from the floor Friday night. Towns has had an abysmal series thus far, only dropping only 21 points in the first two games combined.
I hate to be that guy, but KAT’s buckets in Game 3 didn’t feel very timely. Just from an eye test, his impact on the game was all over the place. But then again, so was the entire team, so I’m not going to blame it solely on Towns.
“It didn’t matter,” said Towns in regard to his better night offensively. “It didn’t matter if the shots went in or not. We didn’t come out with a win. So, disappointed. I’m not really thinking about that. I’m thinking about the W or the L. It’s a tough L to hold tonight.”
Regardless, the Wolves will need more than just Anthony Edwards dominating to win. It’s been fun to see the 21-year-old drop 77 points over the last two games. But the team as a whole will need to become more sound on the defensive end while eliminating the 3-to-5-minute mental lapses if they hope to prolong their season on Sunday.
