When a team rosters Nikola Jokic (and Jamal Murray), they are going to be a stellar offensive squad almost regardless of who else is playing. The Denver Nuggets finished the regular season with a 122.5 offensive rating, best in the NBA.
Not only do their two stars put up a lot of points, but they do so in an efficient manner. That certainly wasn’t the case in Game 3 of their opening round matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Per OptaSTATS, Minnesota became the first team ever to hold two 25-plus point scorers in the regular season to under 30 percent shooting in a playoff game where they each took at least 15 shots.
Defensive masterpiece on the Nuggets' two stars
No, the Timberwolves aren’t a bad offensive team. It’s just that in the Rudy Gobert era, their calling card has been on the defensive side. In Thursday’s 113-96 victory to give Minnesota a 2-1 advantage in the opening round series, the Wolves’ defense made life miserable for both the Joker and Murray.Â
Jokic shot just 7-for-26 from the field (2-for-10 from 3-point range). He finished with 27 points, but that’s in large part due to making all 11 of his free-throw attempts. A passing savant, the 3-time MVP had more turnovers (four) than assists (three) in Game 3.
Known as a playoff riser, Murray was also held in check by a smothering Minnesota defense. His final line consisted of just 5-for-17 shooting from the field while missing all five of his 3-point tries.
The first quarter set the tone for the game as Denver scored just 11 points over the first 12 minutes. Jokic and Murray combined to make only two of their 11 field goal attempts in the period.
Altogether, the Nuggets All-Stars went 12-for-43 from the field. The second quarter was easily their best (although 5-for-2 is nothing to write home about), but in the other three, they were just 7-for-31.
Having a four-time Defensive Player of the Year (and one that feels he was snubbed by finishing fourth in DPOY voting this season) in Gobert certainly helps. His defensive impact can’t be overstated thus far in this series because it’s not like Jokic has always been shut down by him. As a matter of fact, some of the Joker’s best games of his career have come against Gobert and the Wolves.Â
The Timberwolves still need two more wins to advance to the next round. If Game 3 is a harbinger of what’s to come in the rest of this opening round series, well, good luck, Denver.
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