With two games left in the NBA's Western Conference semifinals, the Minnesota Timberwolves not only defeated the defending champions, but also held them in check.
The Timberwolves' defense, which ranked No. 1 in the league during the regular season, went from being impenetrable in Game 1 against the Denver Nuggets to being downright ridiculous in Game 2. And even without four-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert, who was away to give birth to his first child, Minnesota's swarming defenders seemed to only get bigger.
“I heard someone say it was like having seven Timberwolves on the court,” Minnesota forward Jaden McDaniels told ESPN earlier in the series. “I really feel that way when I’m playing defense.” [with this team]. ”
After winning Game 1 on the road, the Timberwolves struggled with Nuggets guard Jamal Murray to a 1-for-10 performance, limited center Nikola Jokic to eight points, and forced the three-time MVP into four turnovers. They forced Denver to a shooting percentage of 32.6% along the way. By halftime of Game 2, they led by 26 points.
It wasn't just proper recognition and defensive rotation. There was a certain style to Minnesota's stifling scheme.
A video of Nickell Alexander-Walker, the Timberwolves' tall 6-foot-5 guard, picking up Murray full-court has gone viral, with Alexander Walker absorbing the impact to his body when Murray tries. He was shown with a crazy smile on his face. Free yourself in the center circle. “I was completely lost in the flow,'' Alexander Walker said after the second round.
Minnesota's pressure on the ball increased even more when Alexander Walker joined McDaniels. The double teams between the two troubled Murray so much that the normally solid guard had to eliminate the ball or risk a turnover.
The Timberwolves are the toast of the league, just two games away from reaching the conference semifinals for the first time in 20 years.
Anthony Edwards, 22, has heard comparisons to Michael Jordan, who scored 70 points in the Timberwolves' 2-0 start. “It's like my limbs keep growing,” McDaniels, 23, who Minnesota coach Chris Finch sometimes calls “Scottie Pippen,” told ESPN. [and] “His arms are too long and can be difficult to control,'' he said, attracting attention as a typical defensive stopper.
But just 10 days later, the Wolves have lost three straight for the first time all season and are on the brink of elimination heading into Thursday's Game 6 at home (8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN). With two games to win to preserve one of the most successful seasons in franchise history, how did Minnesota go from world power to the brink of elimination?
They found themselves dangerously behind in one of the most interesting chess matches of the postseason.
1:25
Windhorst on Jokic: 'We are watching an absolute master at work'
Brian Windhorst explained why the Timberwolves were powerless against Nikola Jokic in Game 5.
The Nuggets changed the way they used Murray.
The schedule included an unusual three-day break as the series moved from Denver to Minneapolis for Game 3. The Wolves were waiting for a suspension, but the suspension was not granted and Murray was fined $100,000 for throwing a towel and hand warmer onto the court in a fit of frustration during a game. The break turned out to be beneficial for the Nuggets in a number of ways, as Minnesota won Game 2, 106-80.
Murray, who suffered a strained left calf muscle in the first round against the Los Angeles Lakers, had the opportunity to rest. Meanwhile, Denver coach Michael Malone had a chance to make adjustments.
Malone combed through footage from the first two games of the series, looking for ways to bring Murray closer to the player who built his reputation as one of the league's best playoff performers.
Malone found it by stealing the ball. outside He took the point guard's hand away and let Jokic or forward Aaron Gordon start the attack. Meanwhile, Gordon had the ball just 17 times in Games 1 and 2, but had 15 possessions in Game 3.
The extra touches continued Gordon's offensive groove. After scoring 20 points on 57.1% shooting in Game 2, he averaged 19.7 points on 69.7% in the Nuggets' next three wins.
Gordon's activation not only saved Murray from 94 feet of pressure, but also kept the 7-1 Gobert from staying off the ball as a rim protector. After scoring just eight points on 3-of-18 shooting in Game 2, Murray scored 24 points on 11-of-21 shooting in Game 3 as the Nuggets defeated the Timberwolves on their home floor.
After Game 3, a Nuggets official told ESPN, “What happens with Jamal, we go. It's very simple.”
Murray continued to perform well in Games 4 and 5, averaging 17.5 points, 48.4% shooting and six assists, and won two more games to lead the Nuggets to 3-2.
Denver utilized this tactic even more in Games 4 and 5. In each of those games, Gobert defended the ball carrier on 18 possessions, which was the third-most in a single game, surpassing his own 11, according to Second Spectrum tracking data. career in years.
0:26
Ant Edwards after Game 5 when Jokic dominated: 'It just makes me laugh'
Anthony Edwards gave props to Nikola Jokic for being the best player on the court with a double-double in Game 5.
MVP won Defensive Player of the Year in an even slower move.
After dropping two games at home, the Nuggets returned the favor by winning Games 3 and 4 inside Minnesota's Target Center. But Edwards made them sweat for it.
He scored 44 points in Game 4, reaching the 40-point plateau for the third time this postseason. If Denver hadn't gone up 8-0 with 20 seconds left in the second quarter, or if Karl-Anthony Towns hadn't gone 5-of-18 from 1-of-10 in the first half, Minnesota has a very high chance of winning. The team is aiming for a win in the Thursday series.
Game 5 was all about Jokic. And the Nuggets center delivered a performance worthy of the MVP trophy he received from NBA Commissioner Adam Silver before the game.
After the Timberwolves kept Jokic relatively contained in Games 1 and 2 — he averaged 24 points, 12 rebounds and 8.5 assists, but shot 42.1 percent from the field, 20 percent from 3-point range and had no turnovers. 5.5 — McDaniels remained wary of their strength. I was calculating.
“Just him walking on the court, our antennae go up,” McDaniels told ESPN before Game 3. [Jokic] Once we get the ball, we try to get to him because we know how good a passer he is.
“He could score too. We'd rather let him score, really. Just, everyone else involved? It's over, dude.”
Jokic did both in Game 5, scoring 40 points on 15-of-22 shooting and dishing out 13 assists with no turnovers. He did it by going right toward Gobert. According to ESPN Stats & Information, Jokic shot just 11-of-28 (39.3%) with Gobert as his primary defender through the first four games of the series, while Jokic shot just 9-of-9 against Gobert. Eight (88.9%) were successful.
“I'm just trying to read and be aggressive,” Jokic said after Tuesday's win. “Today was a really good night for me.”
It was also a methodical night. Jokic is traditionally a quick starter offensively, but according to Second Spectrum, he averaged 1.44 dribbles per field goal attempt during the regular season, ranking 46th out of 52 players with at least 1,000 shots. Ranked as , he hit the ball more. In the fifth game.
In Jokic's 14 touches that started in half court with Gobert, he averaged 2.36 dribbles per touch and averaged 5.0 seconds on touch. This was the longest average touch length and dribbles per touch against a single defender in the regular season or playoffs in Jokic's nine-year career (against a single defender). (among matches with at least 10 direct touches). For Denver, this was another way to limit Gobert from playing his preferred roaming role on the back line.
“We know he's a one-on-one type of player. We know he's going to play great,” Gobert said of Jokic after Game 5. . He… we've got to keep playing and fighting back against him. ”
Ant-Man loses his backcourt partner
Edwards' excellence, the only thing the Wolves relied on throughout the series, took a hit in Game 5.
With veteran guard Mike Conley sidelined with a sore right Achilles tendon, the Nuggets harassed Edwards all over the court, much like the Timberwolves wing did Murray in the series opener. (Conley was “50-50” to play in Game 5 before being ruled out, but there is still hope for Game 6, Timberwolves officials told ESPN).
With Conley not sharing ball-handling duties Tuesday, Edwards controlled the action more than he has all season. According to Second Spectrum, his 102 touches were tied for the second-most in a single game in his entire career, including the regular season and playoffs.
And the Nuggets kept sending him bodies. Edwards faced 29 double teams in Game 5, more than he faced in the first four games of the series combined.
“This was crazy,” Edwards said of the added focus on defense after scoring 18 points on 5-of-15 shooting. “Sure, today was crazy. Yes, today was wild.”
That's a good word to describe the entire series. Wild expectations. A wild performance. Wild swing. And against a Wolves team that had to make their own adjustments, the defending champions' adjustments were a huge success.
