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Timberwolves out-execute Nuggets late to take Game 1

jace frederick, pioneer press
·5 min read

DENVER — One story heading into the West semifinals series between two of the top teams in the NBA centered on clutch time.

For the past two years, Denver has been elite in late-game situations with the contest on the line. And, since Christmas, Minnesota has been one of the worst. Opponents outscored the Wolves by 27 points per 100 possessions of clutch time after Christmas.

Surely, if Minnesota were in a close bout with the Nuggets, it wouldn’t turn out in the Wolves’ favor.

As TNT analyst Charles Barkley used to so eloquently say — the Wolves are dumb.

Not so fast. The opposite turned out to be true. Minnesota out-executed Denver over the closing minutes Saturday in Game 1 to secure a 106-99 victory at Ball Arena and a 1-0 series lead.

Game 2 is Monday in Denver.

The Nuggets’ Christian Braun buried a corner triple to tie the game at 84-84 with more than six minutes to play Saturday, and it instantly became a contest of who could close best. The Wolves scored on eight of their next nine possessions.

Lady luck played a role, as the next possession ended with Naz Reid banking in a 3-point shot as the shot clock expired. But Reid then turned in a putback slam on the next possession and drove baseline for an and-one the possession after that.

Reid then hit another corner three, and Mike Conley found Rudy Gobert for an easy bucket on a pick and roll. Then it was Anthony Edwards time. He was brilliant all evening, carrying an otherwise anemic offense in the first half. On Saturday, he was the starter and the closer.

Edwards drove to the bucket and drew a foul, burying both free-throws to put the Wolves up seven. Two possessions later, he hit oneof his now patented, tough fadeaway jumpers to put the Wolves up 11 with 96 seconds to play.

Ball game.

Edwards finished with 43 points, seven rebounds and three assists.

“The thing we talked about coming into the Denver series is, we have outscored them all four (regular season) games, plus-minus in the first three quarters. And they had done a very good job of outscoring us in the fourth,” Wolves assistant coach Micah Nori said. “I thought we were very, very composed — obviously guys getting to their spots. They had to make a decision, either they put two on Ant, who was finding the right guy, or playing him one-on-one.”

There were no right answers for Denver, as Minnesota went a blistering 27 for 38 over the final two quarters.

And as sharp as the offense was, the defense was equally adept. Perhaps the play of the game came with three minutes to play. The Wolves were up five, and soon-to-be three-time Most Valuable Nikola Jokic was strolling down the paint with just Gobert in front of him.

Usually, if the defender sits back, Jokic hits the floater. If you step up, he tosses an alley-oop to Aaron Gordon. Gobert jab-stepped to bait the lob, then stepped back and knocked it away for a turnover.

Checkmate.

“Just knowing tendencies and just feeling the game. Jokic is a very, very smart player, but I think I’m a very smart defender, too,” Gobert said. “So like I said, sometimes you’re gonna win some of these, sometimes I’m gonna win some of them, and just always try to stay a step ahead in those situations.”

It felt like Minnesota outwitted the team with perhaps the NBA’s greatest IQ. If that continues, Minnesota is a great bet to win this series.

Minnesota opened up an 18-4 advantage to start the contest, a continuance of its dominance over Phoenix from the series prior. Denver reminded everyone why it’s the defending champ, though. The Nuggets immediately responded with a 21-5 run to close the quarter with a lead.

The Wolves couldn’t hit a shot in the first half. Players outside of Edwards accounted for just 15 points over the first two quarters. Minnesota trailed by four at the break.

There was no panic. There was no surrender.

There was just execution and playmaking — you know, what smart teams do.

Minnesota has now won its last two postseason games — in Phoenix and in Denver — by closing out quality opponents in raucous atmospheres via a tried-and-true process of making the right play every single time.

“I think our organization has been good,” said Conley, who finished with 14 points and 10 assists. “Get to a few sets that we like, stuff that is easy for Ant to read, and he makes plays, his supporting cast can be around him and help him out. And he has done a good job of finding those late games and giving us confidence.”

If these West semis are mental warfare, Minnesota just won Round 1. But the battle rages on. Acing one test doesn’t guarantee you’ll pass the class.

“Yeah, we’ve got our work cut out. They’re a team that they run their offense almost perfectly every time. There’s nobody too sped up, nobody rushed. They cut, they play off each other. It’s a tough team to defend,” Conley said. “It’s going to be a chess match. They’re going to change things by quarter, by play, and we have to be able to adjust to them as much as they adjust to us. So it’s going to be a long road in this one. We’ve just got to keep grinding and figure that out.”

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