Days after getting embarrassed on their home court, the Denver Nuggets responded well in Friday’s must-win Game 3 back in Minnesota. Just like the previous matchup, the final score wasn’t close – only this time it was the Nuggets who came out on top with a final score of 117-90.
Picked one up on the road 🤝 pic.twitter.com/v1ovM9fTXB
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) May 11, 2024
The Nuggets went into the second half with a massive lead, having scored 56 points vs. the Wolves’ 41. The score only became more lopsided from there, especially in the third quarter when Nikola Jokic and company dropped 37 points. Facing the prospect of falling into a 3-0 deficit, the defending champions rallied to deliver a strong response and you have to commend them for how they fought back.
https://twitter.com/KalleSorbo/status/1789132134768119962
Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray combined for 48 points on the night and they led the way for the Nuggets with their intensity and urgency. After some critics thought they’d get swept against the Timberwolves, the Nuggets duo proved again in this game why you can never count them out.
The Denver Nuggets pic.twitter.com/wMDJy5o1hp
— RK (@RyanKoenigsberg) May 11, 2024
With a 2-1 lead, the Timberwolves are still in control of this series and they have the advantage over the defending champions. But with Game 4 on Sunday, the Nuggets will get a chance to even up the score and bring the red-hot Timberwolves back to their level. It could prove to be the most important game of the entire series and it was the one that the Timberwolves failed to show up.
Timberwolves tonight pic.twitter.com/OMntTAD6VG
— LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) May 11, 2024
On X, reactions from fans were mixed overall, and while some focused on the victory for Jokic, many Timberwolves loyalists found themselves rethinking everything after this defeat.
first Timberwolves loss of the postseason
do not overreact please pic.twitter.com/ls3xPv9Cqr
— Shahbaz Khan (@ShahbazMKhan) May 11, 2024
You can’t blame Anthony Edwards for this loss, especially considering it’s the first of the entire post-season for the Timberwolves. They were going to lose eventually, and it makes sense that it would come in Game 3, with a chance to put the Nuggets on their heels. How they respond now, to their first real adversity this season, will tell us a lot about their championship potential and whether or not they are ready to make a serious title run.
It’s Now Or Never For The Timberwolves
For a young team on a franchise with such limited playoff success, the Timberwolves were underdogs to get where they are now. Even after finishing the regular season as a top-three seed, experts were shocked when they sent the Phoenix Suns home in four games.
It was almost inconceivable when Minnesota won the first two games against the Denver Nuggets, taking an early 2-0 lead and setting the stage for a potential sweep against the defending champions. While a sweep is off the table now, the Timberwolves still have a chance to push the Nuggets to the brink and it’s an opportunity they cannot afford to waste.
Against a team this good and this accomplished, the margin for error is at an all-time low and the Timberwolves will have to be nearly perfect to win two more games in this series. But with Anthony Edwards and the league’s best defensive frontcourt to back him up, the Wolves have a chance to make some history here and chart new ground for the franchise.
Everything now hinges on Sunday’s pivotal game. With the Nuggets now within striking distance, another win could give them the confidence they need to close out the series and put the finishing statement on the competition.
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