Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray combine for 55-18-18 to propel the Nuggets past the Wolves in Game 1
Familiarity breeds contempt, they say, and that may be a good thing for NBA fans who have watched the Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves butt heads again and again – and again – in recent years.
Facing each other this spring for the third time in the past four postseasons – added to their four clashes each regular season – means the Nuggets and the Wolves had gone head-to-head 28 times since the start of 2022-23 heading into Game 1 Saturday at Ball Arena. The count was 14-14 – until Denver won 116-105 to go up 1-0 in this latest first-round series.
Familiarity of the sort these two Midwest Division rivals have gained can breed lot of things, including respect, grudges and the basketball know-how to force each other out of their first and even second options. All of which bodes well for the competitiveness of the games to follow.
Here are four takeaways from the series opener:
1. Denver’s 2-man game
Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray are the twin turbos of the Nuggets. Letting them work and following in their wake is how this team plays, how it wins, how it captured the 2023 NBA championship. It’s how they draw teammates into the mix, and it’s how they managed the game Saturday down the stretch after Minnesota had gotten within five points with three minutes left, 106-101.
“They’re so patient,” coach David Adelman said. “We can control the game at the end because of those two players.”
Nikola Jokić does it all in Game 1, finishing with 25 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists
The Denver vets helped orchestrate a 10-2 run the 33-second mark that drained the life out of any Wolves comeback. And their combined production – 55 points, 18 rebounds, 18 assists – was same old, same old. In this season’s series, Jokić and Murray averaged 67.3 points, 19.8 rebounds and 18.6 assists.
Any defensive schemes that don’t cut those numbers in half for two or three games will end up being the final ones the Wolves need.
2. Oh, those middle quarters
One thing better than a devastating two-man game is a lethal two-quarter performance. The Nuggets fueled easy Minnesota points in the first 12 minutes courtesy of turnovers. The fourth quarter wound up essentially even. But the second and third were when the game cracked open.
Denver outscored their guests 68-46 in the 24 minutes straddling halftime. The Nuggets shot 55% (23-for-42), while holding the Wolves to 39.5%. Murray scored 24 of his game-high 30 points in those periods, while Jokić had 15 on his way to his 22nd playoff triple-double (25, 13, 11).
The hammer came in a 17-2 burst from 68-68 early in the third that had the Nuggets in command, 85-70. Minnesota countered into the fourth with a 21-8 stretch but never got closer than five.
3. Wolves need to play smarter, not harder
It wasn’t Minnesota’s effort that led to its undesirable result, nor was it any relapse or limitation due to recent injuries to Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels.
No, the Wolves’ theme afterward was that they didn’t bring a thinking man’s approach to this contest. Never mind any particular game plan for coping with the Nuggets – this was more a problem of staying focused, showing discipline and processing what was happening on the floor.
The Wolves didn’t move the ball enough when they got into the halfcourt. They stood too much on the perimeter. There wasn’t much offensive flow. And when things got hot, they got frustrated. McDaniels especially had a low flustered threshold Saturday.
Beat a title contender that way? Heck, it’d be hard to beat the Wizards or the Nets.
“It just wasn’t very smart,” said Minnesota coach Chris Finch. “We have to be more composed. … There were opportunities for everybody to move the ball more.”
Rudy Gobert, who considers himself one of the best defensive big men in the game, worked hard against Jokić, widely regarded as one of the best offensive centers in NBA history. He echoed his coach, though, after his 17-point, 10-rebound performance.
“Too many frustrations that carried over in the next possessions,” Gobert said. “If you want to beat this team, you can’t have that.”
4. Fine line for Murray
The Denver point guard shot 16 free throws and made all 16. Finch called that a “head scratcher,” pointing out that his whole team shot 19 free throws, making 14, to the Nuggets’ 30-for-33. Half of Murray’s freebies came in the second quarter, with the visitors’ irritation increasing with each whistle.
Want some context? OKC’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a polarizing star because rival teams’ fans accuse him of hunting for foul calls. He led the Thunder to the championship last year and never shot more than 15 free throws in a game, despite his reputation.
Jamal Murray finishes with a game-high 30 points including 16-for-16 from the free-throw line
Defensive of Murray, Adelman said: “He drew a lot of fouls in [the second] because he got fouled – a lot … They had a hold of his jersey throughout the night.”
Murray, who averaged 5.2 free throws this season, seemed amused by Minnesota’s grumbles. He reminded reporters he shot four technical foul shots on his team’s behalf, dropping the total he earned off whistles to 12.
Of those Murray said:“I thought I got fouled on every single one of ‘em. So I don’t know what everybody’s talking about. Real fouls.”
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Steve Aschburner has written about the NBA since 1980. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on X.
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