Whenever you play the Denver Nuggets, there is one thing that you always have to make sure of. That is, you need to take advantage of the minutes that three-time MVP Nikola Jokic is off the court.
The Minnesota Timberwolves had a chance to really break the game open to begin the second quarter in Game 1 on Saturday, with Jokic getting his first breather of the outing. That didn’t happen for the Timberwolves, and now Minnesota finds itself in an early 0-1 hole.
Couldn't take advantage of Jokic off the court in the second quarter
You couldn’t ask for the first 12 minutes to go much better for the Timberwolves on Saturday. They led 33-23 and held Denver to just 27.3 percent shooting from the field. With the Joker playing the entire period, it was fairly evident that he would start the second quarter on the bench.
It was with about seven minutes left in the half when Jokic returned to the game after Jamal Murray hit the first of two free throws. Once he hit the second, Minnesota’s lead had dwindled down to just three points.
In 4:51 of game action without the superstar big man, the Nuggets outscored the Wolves 17-10. Murray scored eight in that time while Tim Hardaway Jr. and Bruce Brown both connected on 3-pointers. Denver scored only six points in fewer than half a quarter without the Joker than they did over the entire first quarter with him on the court.
The game ended up all tied at halftime. The Timberwolves had the opportunity to extend their double-digit lead, but they failed to do so. Throughout his entire career, the Nuggets have struggled in the Jokic-less minutes. This season, they were a plus-11.5 per 100 possessions with him on the court and minus-4.8 without him. In other years, the on/off gap has been even more substantial.
It may be a short series if the Timberwolves don’t do a better job in the minutes where Jokic is off the court. Now, they did it in the fourth quarter, which forced David Adelman to bring him back in just three minutes into the final stanza.Â
The entire outlook of the game could have changed, though, had Minnesota not allowed Denver to get back into the game in the second quarter.
It’s isn’t often that the Nuggets get off to such a slow start, but the Wolves just couldn’t capitalize with a W.
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