Waking up Sunday morning, it is safe to say that most of the NBA fan base assumed that the Denver Nuggets would be heading to the Western Conference Final. After all, being on their home court, the Nuggets had been practically unstoppable in Game 5.
Yet here we sit, 24 hours later, and the Nuggets are done. A 98-90 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves has left many stunned. It leaves even more asking just what went wrong and how the situation can be remedied going forward.
The Expectations
Coming into this series, virtually everyone assumed that the Nuggets would just roll through the Timberwolves. Many had already earmarked the NBA Finals to be Denver versus the Boston Celtics. The exciting young Wolves would surely steal a game or two, but ultimately couldn’t match up against the champs.
Everyone had been looking forward to a heavyweight series between the Nuggets and Celtics, one which had the potential to be one of the best NBA Finals in recent memory. But as the saying goes, “That’s why they play the games.”
The Timberwolves Series
The Wolves got out to a hot start on the road, taking Game 1 in stunning fashion behind 43 points from Anthony Edwards. A 26-point win in Game 2 had everyone declaring the Wolves as the next champs. But the actual champs fought back and dominated the next two in Minnesota.
The two would trade blowout wins over the next two games, no single game larger than the 45-point win for the Wolves in Game 6. Coming into Game 7, the Nuggets still felt like they had it. And they had a 20-point lead in the third quarter to boot. Yet here we sit, the Wolves having won 98-90, and the Nuggets are left to wonder where things went off the rails.
good series, @nuggets pic.twitter.com/uhxhEN7v4T
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) May 20, 2024
What Went Wrong?
Perhaps the worst part about losing to the Wolves is that there isn’t one discernible thing you can say. Sure, the Nuggets shot poorly and at inopportune times. But the simple fact of the matter is that the Wolves outplayed them when it mattered most.
The old excuse prior to 2023 had been that you can beat the Nuggets when Jokic is on the bench or one of his vital teammates is hurt or missing. But the Nuggets had their full lineup – even if Jamal Murray was hurt – yet the Wolves found a way to get the better of them on their own court.
Michael Porter Jr. was needed, and they are paying him a max deal for his offense. That said, he’s never been a strong playoff performer. Even last year, he averaged just 13.4 points per game as the Nuggets made a run to the championship.
If one thing could be pointed to, it is their 3-point volume. They took the fewest 3’s in the NBA this year while the Nuggets made the most of their long-distance opportunities. Being 29th in the league in free-throw attempts probably didn’t help things either, especially because successful playoff teams often make a difference at the line.
Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. reacts as time runs out in the second half of Game 7 of an NBA second-round playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Sunday, May 19, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
What Can Be Fixed?
The silver lining here is that major changes aren’t needed. That said, the fixes that need to be implemented will require quite a bit of a change. It’s entirely possible that they’ve gotten so dominant the past two years that they grew complacent. It happens to the best teams.
The aforementioned issues with getting to the line and shooting from deep can be addressed with a bit of a culture shift. No team in the NBA is perfect and anyone can be beaten at any time. The Nuggets have been really good at limiting those potential flaws in the past but couldn’t in this round.
They’ll need Porter Jr. and Murray to step up and take some of the pressure off of Jokic. Finding better bench performances would be nice as well. But they’ll likely return virtually the same roster and lean on the three-time MVP Jokic to carry the load. Expect them to be right there in the thick of it again next year.
Nikola Jokic on whether the Timberwolves and Nuggets are rivals: “Yes. I think they’re built to beat us. They have basically two All-Stars, two All-Defensive First Team players, and Mike Conley, who’s the most underrated player in the NBA probably. I love the guy. He’s so good.” pic.twitter.com/wYy1igCUix
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) May 20, 2024
Final Thoughts
This certainly isn’t the time to press the panic button. The Nuggets finished a win away from reaching the NBA Finals for the second year in a row and the Wolves are going to be a force for a long time to come.
If anything, this is the time for the important players on the Nuggets to do a self-assessment. Murray is a big piece of the puzzle, but he’s been battling injuries for years now. If anything, the coaching staff needs to find a way to take some of the pressure off of Jokic. But for now, the Nuggets should be in title contention next year unless something drastically changes.
You can check the future Denver Nuggets odds here.
