The Minnesota Timberwolves’ defense had been stellar through the first four games of the series. They held the Denver Nuggets to a 105.6 offensive rating and under 100 points in Games 3 and 4. This is a Denver team that led the NBA during the regular season with an offensive rating of 122.5.
In Game 6, the Nuggets had an offensive rating of 122.5. A number identical to their regular season average. A lot of the better results involved Nikola Jokic not shooting as much as he previously was.
Nuggets put together their best offensive game of the series
In Monday’s Game 5 win to cut the series deficit to 3-2, Denver scored 125 points. That’s nine more than they put up in any of the first four meetings in the opening round.
In the first four games, Jokic attempted 19, 20, 26, and 22 field goals. Game 5 saw the 3-time MVP finish with more assists (16) than field goal attempts (15).Â
The third quarter showed why less of Jokic (shooting) may be a good thing in this series. Minnesota trailed by nine at halftime, but the deficit extended to 22 after 12 more minutes. The Joker played the entire third, attempted just one shot, and the Nuggets still dropped 37 points.
In the end, the scoring efficiency from Denver was much improved in Game 5. Less Jokic isn’t usually the answer, but in this series, it may be. Having four-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert often smothering him, Jokic's teammates need to be more involved.
The Nuggets shot just 40.1 percent from the field and 28.5 percent from 3-point distance in Games 1-4. In Game 5, those shooting marks improved to 56.6 percent and 37.9 percent, respectively. Jokic's playmaking was a key factor in these improved shooting numbers.
What also didn't help was the amount of turnovers that the Timberwolves ended the game with (25). Those 25 turnovers led to 35 Denver points. Otherwise, it was a fairly admirable performance by Minnesota on offense, but taking care of the basketball is necessary in order to ensure that the Nuggets don't get easy baskets.
Even with the Timberwolves still owning a 3-2 lead, they know it won’t be easy to get that fourth win without Anthony Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo. The work on the defensive end wasn’t all bad, but they really need to shine on that end to ensure they advance to the next round. Their next chance to do so comes Thursday on their home floor.
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