DENVER – The last time the Minnesota Timberwolves took the floor at Ball Arena for an NBA Playoff game, it was possibly the greatest game in Timberwolves history.
That night, the Wolves took out the defending champion Denver Nuggets in Game 7, coming back from a 20-point second-half deficit. The win also came with extra significance as it came on Kevin Garnett’s birthday and the 20th anniversary of the franchise’s first trip to the Western Conference Finals.
On Saturday afternoon, the Wolves returned
to Mile High for the next chapter in the Timberwolves-Nuggets rivalry that in many ways has defined the last four seasons in the Western Conference.
The game started out promising for Minnesota, as the Wolves jumped out to a 12-point lead in the first quarter. Rudy Gobert locked down the paint while slowing down Nikola Jokić, they forced Denver into six first-quarter turnovers, and the ball movement was absolutely pristine, leading to consistent open looks in the halfcourt.
From there, it almost all fell apart. The Wolves’ defense slipped, especially on the perimeter, where the guards were getting destroyed on screen, leading to a flurry of Denver 3-pointers. When Gobert went to the bench, the Timberwolves had little to no chance of stopping the Nuggets, especially if Jokić was on the floor.
And possibly most concerningly, the ball movement that got Minnesota the early lead completely dried up, which has been a consistent theme with this team all season. The Nuggets outscored the Wolves 68-46 in the second and third quarters combined to flip a double-digit Minnesota lead into a 12-point lead of their own.
The Timberwolves did find a way to claw back into the game, trailing by only two points halfway through the fourth quarter, but their execution down the stretch of the game prevented them from having a meaningful chance of pulling the game late.
There were awful turnovers, missed defensive assignments, and a lack of attention on the defensive glass, which led to numerous second-chance points for Denver. The most striking difference between the two teams was their ability to find quality offense late in the game.
The Nuggets consistently found open shots in the flow of their offense. While many of their shots did not fall as the Nuggets shot 1-17 from beyond the arc in the second half, their ability to generate open looks speaks more meaningfully toward their chances to win this series and more.
The Wolves, on the other hand, had to take tough shots after tough shots. Anthony Edwards was fantastic in the clutch during the regular season, but he was not able to find that gear in this game, as he scored just five fourth-quarter points before the final garbage-time minute of the game.
The Timberwolves lost Game 1 by a final score of 116-105. Edwards finished the game with 22 points on 7-19 shooting. He did contribute well in other areas, putting up nine rebounds and seven assists, but did not seem to have the explosive burst the Wolves will likely need to see from him to win this series.
“Nah, I felt good,” Edwards said after the game. “A little fatigued, I haven’t played in like a month. But that was expected. Other than that, I felt good.”
Chris Finch felt similar about Edwards’ game and his health, “I didn’t see a ton of physical limitations. It looked like just a rusty game back.”
Without fully knowing the extent to which Edwards’ knee is bothering him, Edwards low-scoring output did seem to be more than just rust. While Edwards had a few nice drives to the rim, the volume of those looks was much lower than what would normally be expected. Ant also shot 2-8 on 3-pointers, potentially indicative of someone struggling with knee pain.
Julius Randle similarly struggled. He scored 16 points on 7-16 shooting while dishing out only two assists, both of which came in the fourth quarter.
Gobert had an outstanding performance. He held Jokić to 25 points while forcing him into five turnovers and put up 17 points and ten rebounds while missing just one of his nine shots. The baskets weren’t just easy lob dunks either. On multiple occasions, Gobert caught a tough pass in traffic and made a nice move toward the basket to score the bucket.
“Both ends, he did a good job,” Jaden McDaniels said about Gobert’s Game 1 performance. “He keep doing that, we’re going to win.”
The Wolves in the first quarter showed the ability to “flip the switch” as they so often have these past couple playoff runs; they have shown the ability to increase their level of play to meet the moment, even in adverse situations. That team was there in the first quarter, but in no way could it sustain that level of play.
That variability in how Minnesota plays has been an issue the entire season. They have desperately needed the ability to stack good performances on good performances, but have been unable to do so since the season started all the way back in October.
That level of consistency is not found in the Playoffs; it has to be built during the regular season to embed it into a team’s DNA. The Wolves did not do that. When they were healthy early in the season, they often opined about waiting for the playoffs to begin. Once injures did hit in March and April, they were unable to close the regular season strong like they did last season.
This series is not over, and it is just one game, but the Wolves are going to have to find a level of play they did not find at all during the regular season. The Nuggets have won 13 straight games dating back to the regular season, and they are out for revenge from two years ago.
Rudy put it best when asked if he would be able to repeat his performance tonight, one that will certainly be needed if the Wolves have any chance to win this series.
“I think we shall see.”
Up Next
The Timberwolves vs Nuggets series continues with Game 2 back at Ball Arena on Monday. It’s another late-night playoff tip with the game beginning at 9:30 PM CT. Fans can watch the game on NBC and Peacock.
