The Minnesota Timberwolves were one of the NBA's most frustrating teams during the regular season — stacked with plenty of talent but not quite able to live up to their potential.
The last two games have provided a glimpse of how good they can be.
The Timberwolves have a 2-1 series lead over the Denver Nuggets in the first-round series. Game 4 will be played in Minnesota on Saturday. Also on Saturday's schedule: Detroit at Orlando (series tied 1-1),
Oklahoma City at Phoenix (Thunder lead 2-0) and New York at Atlanta (Hawks lead 2-1).
The Nuggets and three-time Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic secured a fairly comfortable win in Game 1, but the Timberwolves have responded with two victories, including a stellar defensive effort in a 113-96 Game 3 win.
“We’ve definitely played on a higher level, more of an even keel, too," Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said. "We’ve made mistakes as well, but we’ve been able to survive them and regroup quicker than in Game 1. I think adherence to the game plan has been a lot better. Game 1, it was not. We treated Game 1 like Game 83, and that really wasn’t the mindset to come into. We’ve done a good job of flipping that mindset to more of a playoff mindset.”
The Nuggets will have to rediscover their offensive touch to even the series. They scored just 11 points in the first quarter of Game 3 and shot just 34% from the field for the game.
Denver guard Christian Braun is confident the Nuggets will bounce back.
“This is a mature team," Braun said. "This is a team that’s been there. This is a team that’s won a championship. This is not a team that this is their first time being there with guys that have never won. We have a lot of dudes who have won championships, Jamal Murray, Nikola Jokic, Aaron Gordon.
He added: "There is no panic inside our locker room. I know there is panic outside our locker room. I kind of understand that. We didn’t do our job in Game 3 so going forward we’ve got to play better. We understand that. We’ll rise to the occasion.”
The Nuggets are not sure if they will get forward Aaron Gordon back for Game 4. The versatile 12th-year veteran was held out on Thursday with tightness in his left calf muscle. Gordon walked through some drills on the court during practice on Friday, but coach David Adelman said he had no further update on his availability for Saturday.
Another key wing player for the Nuggets, Peyton Watson, has missed all three games with a strained right hamstring.
When/Where to Watch: Game 3, 1 p.m. EDT (Peacock/NBCSN)
Series: Tied, 1-1.
Betting line: Pistons by 2.5.
What to Know: The top-seeded Pistons bounced back with a 98-83 in Game 2 after getting stunned by the Magic in a series-opening loss. Now the series moves to Orlando. The Magic will try to bounce back on offense after getting held to just 33% shooting in Game 2, including a 25% mark from 3-point range. Both teams are hungry for postseason success. Detroit hasn’t advanced beyond the first playoff round in 18 years and Orlando hasn’t reached the second round in 16 years.
When/Where to Watch: Game 3, 3:30 p.m. EDT (NBC/Peacock)
Series: Thunder lead, 2-0.
Betting line: Thunder by 9.5.
What to Know: The series shifts to Arizona after the Thunder dominated the first two games of the series in Oklahoma City. The Thunder have played well through two games, though they lost guard Jalen Williams to a hamstring injury and he's considered week-to-week. The Suns were upset by what they viewed as biased officiating in Game 2 and All-Star guard Devin Booker was fined $35,000 for his critical remarks.
When/Where to Watch: Game 4, 6 p.m. EDT (NBC/Peacock)
Series: Hawks lead, 2-1
Betting line: Knicks by 1.5.
What to Know: All the pressure is on the Knicks after two straight one-point losses have put their season in jeopardy. CJ McCollum hit a fadeaway jumper with 12.5 seconds left in Game 3 that proved to be the game-winner. McCollum has been fantastic in the series, averaging 27 points on 51% shooting. The Knicks could use more offensive production from Mikal Bridges, who is averaging just 7.0 points, 1.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists in nearly 30 minutes over the three games.
When/Where to Watch: Game 4, 8:30 p.m. EDT (ABC)
Series: Timberwolves lead, 2-1
Betting line: Nuggets by 1.5.
What to Know: Jokic has missed 25 of 33 shots over the last five quarters. He’s just 5 for 24 from 3-point range in the series. Adelman isn't concerned: “He had a tough night. It happens to players. This guy’s played a million playoff games. There’s nights that are poor. He’ll bounce back." Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards is averaging 23 points and eight rebounds in the series.
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AP Sports Writer Dave Campbell contributed to this story.
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