The result left Nugs fans on social media searching for someone to blame for the mega-disappointment, and unexpectedly (but appropriately), most settled on a pair of ballers who've grown accustomed to being lauded as saviors: Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray.
Everyone should have seen this coming — and plenty did.
In the preceding gentleman's sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers, Jokić put up crazy stats, as usual, but he didn't meet his own elevated standard for efficiency, missing lots of shots at the rim that he usually sank and frequently fumbling the ball like ex-Bronco Melvin Gordon after changing the oil in his car; he notched five turnovers in game five alone. And while Murray closed out two contests against L.A. singlehandedly, including a for-the-ages buzzer beater, he hadn't been hitting for a high percentage owing to a calf strain that was clearly far from healed.
These deficiencies returned with a vengeance once the young, hungry Timberwolves entered Ball Arena. Led by already-budded superstar Anthony Edwards, Minnesota launched a blitzkrieg that resulted in a quick 18-4 lead. As such, the Nuggets had to dig out of a deficit canyon much sooner than they'd been required to do in each of this year's Lakers' matchups — and they accomplished the task quickly. Despite a first-half 25 spot from Edwards in which many of the buckets were highly contested, Denver went into the break with a four-point lead.
It didn't last long. The Nuggets were productive in the third quarter, but the Timberwolves regularly outpaced them. At the outset, Denver coach Michael Malone seemed content to let Edwards go off so long as no one else followed suit. But in the second half, Ant Man initially took a back seat to Karl-Anthony Towns, who started stacking baskets when he wasn't flopping in a pathetic attempt to get Jokić into foul trouble. If Towns, who finished with twenty points, isn't the league's most annoying player, he should at least be in the conversation.
Then, to further worsen matters, Edwards began heating up again (he finished with 43) at around the same time that NBA sixth-man-of-the-year Naz Reid came to life. In addition to improving his defense against Jokić, Reid poured in a stunning sixteen points, with a bank-shot three counting as the most heart-ripping of the bunch.
What about the Nuggets' typically dynamic duo? Jokić recorded 32 points, but he registered in single digits for assists and rebounds, inexplicably settled for a truly excessive nine three-pointers (he made only two of them), and coughed up seven turnovers...again. Murray, meanwhile, seemed strangely tentative in the first half, when he went scoreless — something that had never happened in his playoffs career to date. After halftime, he became more assertive, but the seventeen points he managed weren't nearly enough to stanch the Timberwolves' attack. The Nuggets' attempt at a rally in the final minutes was less furious than futile.
The simple truth is that the Nugs haven't played a complete game since the regular season ended, or even three-quarters of one — and as a result, Monday's face-off with Minnesota has become a must-win. Moreover, the level of difficulty will be much higher than against L.A., whose aging roster could be expected to swoon late. Hoping for the Timberwolves to collapse in a similar way is a recipe to an 0-2 hole and a potential early exit from what's supposed to be another championship run.
Denver loyalists on X put this scenario into perspective throughout the following top-twenty countdown. Check out their takes below:
Number 20:
7 turnovers from the mvp
— Bruh...... (@nib_flow) May 5, 2024
Number 19:
Murray simply cannot go an entire 1st half scoreless at this level of hoop.
— Dorian Wilde (@portraitwilde) May 5, 2024
Number 18:
These ain’t the shitty Lakers , the Nuggets won’t get away with going through the motions https://t.co/iLhOPTM3hX
— cowtown5 (@texasoccer5) May 5, 2024
Number 17:
Lakers tired out the nuggets, all the coming from behind takes a toll. #NBAPlayoffs https://t.co/6stD0stG2m
— Cisco Kidd 🇺🇲 (@ControllerLyfe) May 5, 2024
Number 16:
Nuggets played terrible defense down the stretch. They looked gassed and Joker was making bad basketball plays. ANT man is something this is going to be a fun one
— Matt M (@MattMascarenas1) May 5, 2024
Number 15:
Jokic shooting too many threes
— Bleek, Kane (@KaneBleek) May 5, 2024
Number 14:
Lmao so fucking ironic coming from nuggets fans , the entire Lakers series last year was circus shot after circus shot and looks like Murray used his juice up last round.
— Henry Los Pits (@Yhlqmdlg2016) May 5, 2024
Number 13:
Jamal Murray aka @VicLombardi s number 1 all time nuggets playoff performer needs to give you more than zero in the first half.
— frolickingmenace (@foreverhappy883) May 5, 2024
Number 12:
Once again, Nuggets lacked effort & energy. Twolves came full force. Jokic had 32 points, but I think he could have been a lot more aggressive in the 4th. MPJ cooled off & Reid for wolves got red hot
— Ayrios (@AyriosThePirate) May 5, 2024
Number 11:
What happened to the Nuggets Defense!
— Jonny Mach (@JonnyMach1717) May 5, 2024
Porter Jr and Jokic can’t keep carrying us all game. Our bench needs to really step up! We look tired!!
Number 10:
Murray might have to actually try in first half to win now
— (@ALastStraw) May 5, 2024
Number 9:
Jokic despite the loss:
— StatMuse (@statmuse) May 5, 2024
32 PTS
8 REB
9 AST
3 STL
and 7 turnovers. https://t.co/QXPJr3JfC1
Number 8:
holding jokic to 9-16 on 2s + forcing him to take 9 threes and commit 7 turnovers is no easy feat
— 30 (@FanHeartbroken) May 5, 2024
wolves did a really good job making him work tonight. he still got his numbers, but they won his minutes by 12
Number 7:
Hoping this makes Nuggets start a playoff game with some energy
— Matt (@Matt581778781) May 5, 2024
Number 6:
Not good. Second straight game Jokic has had a bunch of turnovers and the Nuggets just got outplayed in the second half by the Timberwolves.
— TheRealSocraticGadfly (@real_gadfly) May 5, 2024
Number 5:
Nuggets aren’t hungry and looked tired and spent
— Ryno (@Rockymtnrejects) May 5, 2024
Number 4:
Turnovers and piss poor second half defense by Nuggets.
— Brian J. Gonzalez (@GoBrianJ) May 5, 2024
Number 3:
The Lakers watching the Timberwolves close out a game against the Nuggets: pic.twitter.com/azrjL5Pcr9
— DFAntastic (@PhillyTradesman) May 5, 2024
Number 2:
Nuggets looked tired, after 4 days rest.. not a good sign. 7 turnovers by Jok. Can't have one half of play from Jamal. Unforced turnovers galore. I'd say they can't play worse..
— Robert Kilbourn (@RobertKilbourn2) May 5, 2024
Number 1:
Not feeling a full championship hungry team. Energy just is not what it’s been in the past, even in the regular season. I need to see a locked in team on Monday.
— Nuggets In Fo (@MPJclears) May 5, 2024
