The Denver Nuggets are considered the best team in the National Basketball Association (NBA) currently. Coming off of a championship last season, the Nuggets took down the Lakers in 5 games during the first round of this year’s playoffs. The series ended 4-1, and everyone expects the Nuggets to have an easy round two against an underdog Minnesota Timberwolves.
However, after two games into the series, it is not looking good for the Nuggets. The Timberwolves are led by upcoming superstar point guard Anthony Edwards. Edwards has led the Timberwolves to the playoffs twice in his tenure, losing last season in a heartbreaking fashion at the buzzer to the Nuggets. He came into these playoffs looking to overcome that 2nd round hunch, and it is looking like he will do it. The Nuggets fell to the Timberwolves 106-99 in Game One of the series. This is credited to Edwards dropping 43 points and Karl Anthony-Towns having 20 points himself. This was chalked up as a fluke to most, nobody really had worries for the Nuggets.
However, in Game Two, the Timberwolves shocked everyone. Unknowingly to most NBA fans, the Timberwolves are the fourth ranked defensive unit, while the Nuggets are the second ranked. However, the Timberwolves put their defense on full blast in Game Two, holding the Nuggets to 80 points. Players on the Nuggets that have the ability to drop 40 points on any given day were held to sub-20. This includes the MVP center Nikola Jokic, his superstar sidekick point guard Jamal Murray was held to only 8 points shooting 3 for 18.
It is now clear to NBA fans that the Timberwolves are no team to overlook. They have just had one of the best team playoff performances the league has seen in a while, and this is without one of their main defensive pieces in former DPOY position Rudy Gobert. Now one of the main questions that fans are asking is: Can the Timberwolves keep up their dominance, or will the Nuggets get into their rhythm?
