Nuggets Fans Ask: Did Denver Quit in Blowout Loss to Timberwolves? | Westword
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Nuggets Fans Ask: Did Denver Quit in Blowout Loss to Timberwolves?

The disaster happened in painfully slow motion.
May 7, 2024
Jamal Murray was shut down by Nickeil Alexander-Walker and the Minnesota Timberwolves in game two.
Jamal Murray was shut down by Nickeil Alexander-Walker and the Minnesota Timberwolves in game two. Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
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Witnessing the Denver Nuggets' 106-80 home annihilation by the Minnesota Timberwolves during game two of their playoff series on May 6 brought back painful memories of the Denver Broncos being humiliated in one of their early Super Bowl losses. The outcome was never in doubt, and the amount of suffering inflicted on the fan base was compounded by the sense that the squad's heart had been ripped out live on what used to be called national television.

Plenty of social media users concluded that the team quit, with their main disagreement being over when it happened — late in the contest or during the first half, when it was already obvious they were outmanned, outgunned and out of luck.

The Nugs' game one loss to the Timberwolves at Ball Arena was blamed largely on Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray, who both underperformed to various degrees, especially in the paint. But prior to the game, Denver received an unexpected break, when Minnesota confirmed that its main rim protector, Rudy Gobert, would miss the contest in order to be present for the birth of his child. The Nuggets immediately seized on this opportunity by repeatedly feeding the ball to high flier Aaron Gordon, who quickly cashed in from both short and long distance.

But the AG plan proved to be fool's gold. Minnesota pivoted by clogging the lane with its many towering defenders, including Naz Reid, who is more than justifying his selection as the NBA's sixth man of the year. Rather than adjusting, Denver's crew kept running into the same wall over and over again — and the officiating didn't bail them out. Far from it: The referees apparently left their whistles in their hotel room, and the Timberwolves took advantage by way of physical, harassing D that the Nuggets never effectively countered.

Whining about it — the last refuge of losers — doesn't count.

Murray, for his part, has been severely hampered by a calf injury that happened late in the regular season and appears to be worsening with each passing minute. He was unable to guard Timberwolves breakout star Anthony Edwards or anyone else as closely as necessary, and he could neither run nor jump with the energy he's regularly exhibited. The result was a psychological battle with himself that deserves its own case study. Rather than acting as a facilitator or finding other ways to help his fellows, he repeatedly tried to take on Minnesota all by his lonesome, and when he failed spectacularly, he reacted with the emotional maturity of a nine-year-old told he'd have to wait until middle school to get an iPhone. His nadir came when he was caught by cameras tossing a heat pack onto the floor in the middle of a sequence.

Because Murray was uninterested in getting his teammates involved, the Nuggets' offense flowed like a river of sludge — and matters were made worse by radically subpar performances from Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who's dealing with his own leg injury, and Michael Porter Jr. (he put up just nine points). Meanwhile, Jokić continued to make uncharacteristic mistakes with the ball by way of four first-half turnovers; the other Nuggets accounted for twelve more by game's end.

These factors and more contributed to Denver scoring just 35 points by halftime, as opposed to the Timberwolves' 61 — and although the Nuggets had erased deficits nearly as large to dispatch the Los Angeles Lakers in five games to open the playoffs, their body language made it clear that no miracle comeback was in the offing this time around. Edwards and the mega-irritating Karl-Anthony Towns continued to drain buckets at will (both finished with 27 points), and the Nuggets answered with occasional frustration fouls prior to surrendering to the inevitable.

The humiliation is likely to continue. Only about 7.3 percent of teams that start 0-2 in playoff series go on to win, and these digits shrink further when the defeats happen at home. Maybe the sound of the Minnesota faithful chanting "Wolves in four" during the final stanza will light their fire. But from this distance, the Nuggets' defense of their first-ever championship certainly looks as if it will end in ashes.

Do citizens of Nuggets Nation agree? Count down our picks for the twenty most memorable posts on X to find out.

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.
Contact: Michael Roberts
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