Neal: Can the Wolves recover? Here are five things that must happen.
After the Timberwolves won the first two games against Denver, some genius of a sportswriter proclaimed that this playoff series was over and it was time to stick a fork in the Nuggets.
That genius sportswriter was me.
Now the series is all square through four games as the scene shifts back to Denver. So I'm done with prognostications. At least for now.
The Wolves were woeful at times Sunday. Denver, most of the time, played like the champions they are. Given the way the Wolves won the first two games, especially after the Game 2 rout with Rudy Gobert away while becoming a father, we all — OK, I believed — it was going to be an easy procession to the Western Conference finals. But the team with the championship rings had other ideas. And the Wolves suddenly look like a team that's new to this playoff run thing.
But the series isn't over. Anyone who comes away from Sunday's game thinking "That's Minnesota sports for you" can turn in their membership card to the Wolves fan club. They head to the Mile High City for Game 5 knowing that they didn't lose three consecutive games all season. They know how to adjust and shake off losses.
It's now a best-of-three series, with Game 6 Thursday night at Target Center. The Nuggets put the "ow" in the Wolves' "howl" over these past two games, but there's no reason to think the Wolves can't win in Denver again. The Nuggets have gotten off the mat. Now the Wolves need to punch back. Doing so will require a collective improvement from what we've seen over the past two games. There are five areas that need to be addressed heading into Game 5.
1. The bench needs to be a strength again
For the first time all series, Denver's reserves outscored the Wolves in Game 4. The Wolves bench has been a strength all season but not Sunday. Naz Reid, who was brilliant in the first two games of the series, scored 11 points, but matchup issues led to him playing a series-low 18 minutes, 51 seconds. Nickeil Alexander-Walker shot 1-for-7 from the field and was a minus-20. Kyle Anderson played only 6:11 and was minus-18. Those three need to show up Tuesday.
2. Wolves must rediscover their rugged defense
Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray punished the Wolves time and time again with their high screen-and-roll that led to favorable matchups. The situations begged for the Wolves to switch and force Denver to take long jumpers and use their length to contest those shots. They didn't do that nearly enough Sunday, and the Nuggets' two best players thrived. Denver's ball movement was excellent Sunday. The Wolves need to watch Game 2 tape to remind themselves how they can defend.
3. Karl-Anthony Towns needs to show up
Towns missed his first seven shots and finished 5-for-18 from the field. He pressed as he struggled to find his offensive footing. Anthony Edwards was fantastic once again, scoring 44 points in 45 minutes. Towns must step up in these big games if the Wolves are going to win this series. They are hard to beat when KAT is scoring.
4. The Wolves must stop the big runs
It's not going to be forgotten around here any time soon. The Nuggets scored eight points in the final 20.2 seconds of the first half, taking a 15-point lead into halftime. They gave up a three-pointer. Edwards made a careless turnover that led to a dunk. Then Alexander-Walker's desperate downcourt pass was picked off by Murray, who then heaved a midcourt shot at the buzzer that was all net. Those lapses are costly against a defending champion. "That should never happen, especially in big games," Wolves guard Mike Conley said.
5. Move the ball
The ball was sticky in the first half as the Wolves fell behind. There wasn't good movement. The impostor dressed as Towns wasn't scoring. The Wolves shot only 36.4% in the first quarter because the offense, other than Edwards, sputtered. Edwards, Towns and Conley took two-thirds of the Wolves' shots on Sunday. Ball movement must be better. Edwards is going to get his points, but the series is over if others don't contribute.
Those are five things to focus on for Game 5. I didn't see things clearly following Game 2, so I'm retiring from the prediction business — temporarily. But if the Wolves can fix these issues, they could be in position to close out the series in Game 6.
