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Nuggets' Game Six Suckfest Versus Timberwolves Has Fans Spitting Mad

Denver's game plan fit the definition of insanity.
May 17, 2024
Image: Jamal Murray demonstrates how most fans watched the Nuggets' putrid game six loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Jamal Murray demonstrates how most fans watched the Nuggets' putrid game six loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Denver Nuggets via YouTube
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The Denver Nuggets had a chance to polish off the Minnesota Timberwolves in game six of their NBA playoffs series on May 16. But instead of modeling their approach on the strategy that made the Wolves look like miniature poodles in their previous contest, they reverted to the plan that helped Anthony Edwards's outfit to a 26-point victory last week.

The result — an aneurysm-inducing 115-70 crushing — elicited the worst sort of déjà vu. Envision an alternative version of Groundhog Day in which Bill Murray's character ends each evening in the emergency room after a vicious mugging and you'll be on the right track.

A key ingredient for disaster involved the head referee for the contest: Marc Davis, whose willingness to let the Timberwolves pummel the Denver squad during the May 6 catastrophe prompted combustible guard Jamal Murray to chuck a heating pad and a towel toward him in the middle of the action. The tantrum almost certainly would have ended in Murray's suspension during the regular campaign, but since it's the postseason, he drew a $100,000 fine.

True to form, Davis and his fellow zebras let the Wolves play rough again, with their main target being Nikola Jokić, whose game five performance on May 14, when he accepted his latest Most Valuable Player award, was so jaw-slackening that even his many haters had to genuflect. But Jokić essentially refused to engage, with his first shot, an inaccurate three, proving to be a cruel harbinger. He finished with 22 points but was 0-4 from deep, and the other Nugs were nearly as bad. Rather than driving into the lane and forcing the refs to make calls, they consistently settled for long-range shots — and the cacophony of clanking from their inaccurate hurls would have drowned out a railroad crew. They took 36 shots from beyond the arc and sank just seven.

Several of head coach Michael Malone's chess moves were every bit as inexplicable as these futile barrages — such as doubling mega-whiner Karl-Anthony Towns instead of Edwards, who put up a seemingly effortless 27 points. But Malone's dumbest choice of all was to spotlight Murray, who's been struggling with a calf strain that has clearly impacted his performances. Hard to tell if this concept was a capitulation to Murray's sizable ego or an acknowledgment that the Nuggets will have a difficult time besting the Dallas Mavericks or Oklahoma City Thunder, their possible opponents if they advance to the next round, without a top-form Jamal. But the tactic proved absolutely disastrous. Murray tossed out one hopeless heave after another (he went 4-for-18 and notched just ten points), and his bricks helped Minnesota build a lead that ballooned to nineteen points at the break.

If anything, the second half was worse. The Nugs' belated efforts to match the Wolves' intensity were mostly massive fails (at one point, they missed five shots in a single possession), and as the deficit grew, their lapses on D multiplied. There were several occasions when Minnesota players were open by twenty feet, thanks to usually reliable defenders such as Aaron Gordon and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope being woefully out of position. As for Michael Porter Jr., Edwards made him look like a crossing guard with an inner-ear disorder on several occasions, and his offense (he scored a mere nine points) was equally offensive.

Malone's finest decision of the night was to empty his bench with just under ten minutes remaining in the contest; the Wolves followed suit about a minute later, to their home crowd's delight. By admitting defeat early, Malone avoided wearing out Jokić in meaningless garbage time while allowing the remaining TV viewers with cable to switch to Grey's Anatomy. That's what happened at my house, and while I've thought the show has been dreadful since the infamous ghost Denny plot line from the early 2000s, at least my wife was happy.

Throughout the face-off, the Nuggets lacked urgency, and that's no surprise, since they knew they were guaranteed a game seven at Ball Arena; it's scheduled for Sunday. But blowing an opportunity to put the Wolves away early carries substantial risk. In the course of a few hours, the Minnesotans went from grave-ready cadavers to revved-up zombies whose appetites have been whetted by a banquet of brain-eating. Letting the dead walk is never a good idea.

On X, formerly Twitter, social media users reacted to the outcome with shock and dismay, but most haven't lost hope. Count down our picks for the twenty most memorable posts about the suckfest to see what we mean:

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Image: Michael Roberts
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.
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