The Minnesota Timberwolves took Game 1 against the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Semifinals. The Nuggets losing the first game of the series was a rare sight to see but it brought out an honest and ‘unfiltered’ opinion from Dallas Mavericks legend, Dirk Nowitzki on Nikola Jokic and the Wolves’ bigs.
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The Timberwolves took Game 1, defeating the Nuggets with a 106-99 final score per NBA.com. In a stellar display, Anthony Edwards went off for a 43-point explosion, while Nikola Jokic led Denver with 32 points of his own, albeit on 2-9 shooting from beyond the arc.
The hosts of Inside The NBA went on to talk about the game and what an amazing job Minnesota did in slowing down Nikola Jokic and his impact on the game. As Kenny, Ernie, and Chuck discussed the game, Dirk Nowitzki went on to give his two cents on the Wolves, defending the Joker.
“It’s almost like he was trying to do a little too much. They got three seven-footers to throw at him and he had to do a lot. He’s dribbling cross-court, throwing hoop passes, it was too much. I do like Minnesota, their depth, their length, they’re gonna be tough to beat in this series but I still think it’s gonna be a long and fun series but Denver needs to be a little better.”
“Rudy Gobert, Karl-Anthony Towns and Naz Reid, those three guys sped The Joker up for the first time that I’ve ever seen in basketball.”
Kenny & Dirk had high praise for the Timberwolves defense pic.twitter.com/4KpHlXyfnI
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) May 5, 2024
Nikola Jokic may have led the Nuggets in scoring but the defenders thrown at him by the Wolves very much managed to slow him down. Looking back at the highlights of the game, there were even times when Jokic seemed gassed.
As Nowitzki said, The Joker was trying to do too much on the floor and it was evident. The Wolves had players like Rudy Gobert, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Naz Reid constantly wearing down the Nuggets center.
Even Kenny Smith said, “Rudy Gobert, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Naz Reid, those three guys sped The Joker up for the first time that I’ve ever seen in basketball.”
If the Timberwolves continue to barrage Jokic with new and fresh defenders on the floor, one can expect someone else from the Nuggets squad to step up and take some of the offensive responsibility off him.
Denver Nuggets coach Mike Malone is known for making exceptional adjustments on the floor in accordance with the defense being played by the opposing team. Apart from Jokic, the Nuggets have three more centers on their roster.
While two of them are still rookies, it is likely the head coach will use DeAndre Jordan in some form or other to help Denver take Game 2 of this seven-game series. However, whether or not this adjustment actually helps the Denver Nuggets secure some positive momentum in this series, only time will tell.
