Undeterred by Nuggets’ Humiliating Loss, Skip Bayless Still Believes Nikola Jokic’s Team Will Win Over the Timberwolves

The Denver Nuggets’ stocks started plummeting after they faced another humiliating loss at home against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The fans at Ball Arena, who barely see their team losing at home, were shocked to witness two back-to-back home losses. Despite the one-sided showing in both contests, NBA analyst Skip Bayless is not ready to give up on the Nuggets just yet.

Appearing on his FS1 show “Undisputed“, the veteran journalist declared that the Nuggets have too much character and experience for him to give up on them. He thought Nikola Jokic and Co. still had some fight left in them despite the odds.

“I am not giving completely up on these Denver Nuggets. This team has too much basketball character to lay down and die in Game 3,” Bayless told his FS1 co-hosts.

.@RealSkipBayless still has faith in the Nuggets despite trailing 0-2:

“This team has too much basketball character to lay down and die in Game 3.” pic.twitter.com/LKmEiDkPb8

— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) May 7, 2024

However, the 72-year-old admitted that it would be an uphill task for Denver to win four of their next five games, most of them on the road. He added, “If they win Game 3, you’re obviously looking at this Everest of a mountain because you’ve got to win four out of five to win the series and it feels virtually impossible, if not completely impossible, as we speak.” 

If you ask Skip Bayles, it’s going to take a “miracle” for the Denver Nuggets to come back in the series, but he didn’t put it beyond them. The defending champs will have to show their character and hope for the best as the series shifts to Target Center in Minneapolis. 

Can the Nuggets make a comeback and how

Only five teams have made a comeback in NBA history to win a series after starting 0-2 at home. That means, mathematically, it almost never happens. But sometimes it does and there are things that the Nuggets can do better to make sure that history repeats itself a sixth time. 

The main focus for Denver should be guard play, as Jamal Murray is currently not doing the job for the Nuggets. Murray went for zero points in the first half of Game 1 and followed that up with a similar showing of 2 points in the first half of Game 2. While it’s understandable that the 27-year-old’s output is limited due to his calf strain, the team will still need to find a replacement as they can no longer waste any more chances betting on Murray.

Secondly, the team will need to find an answer for Anthony Edwards, as the 22-year-old is demolishing their defense. Smaller guards like Kentavious Caldwell-Pope prove to be too small when guarding Edwards, and larger players like Michael Porter Jr. are unable to keep up with Edwards’ twitchy movements.

As of right now, the Nuggets don’t have an answer for the No. 5 of the Wolves. If they are able to plug their leaks, they should survive for a few more games. So the chief objective for Denver should be to take one game at a time and use that as incentive to gain momentum.