Losing the primary contest of a seven-game collection isn’t tragic for the street crew. The decrease seed must win only one street sport to seize home-court benefit, and there are 4 possibilities to get that win.
However, if the Minnesota Timberwolves play like they did in Game 1 of their first-round Western Conference playoff collection in opposition to Denver, the Nuggets could have no bother advancing.
Denver began quick and completed sturdy in a 109-80 win on Sunday evening, and can attempt to take a 2-0 collection lead Wednesday evening at dwelling.
The Nuggets are the highest seed whereas Minnesota is No. 8 within the West, however this was thought of a comparatively even matchup. The groups break up the 4 video games within the common season and Timberwolves heart Karl-Anthony Towns didn’t play in any of these conferences.
Towns was again for Game 1, but it surely made little distinction. Part of Minnesota’s poor effort could possibly be attributed to having to play two play-in video games to get the eighth seed and having simply sooner or later off earlier than Game 1.
Conversely, Denver had six days off to arrange and let bumps and bruises heal.
“We had a long, tough week,” Wolves ahead Kyle Anderson mentioned. “That’s no excuse. We came out expecting to win the game. We just have to get some rest, watch film, adjust and get ready for Game 2.”
The two days off between Games 1 and a pair of could be the remedy for the Timberwolves’ poor capturing Sunday evening. They shot 37 p.c general, hit simply 30.6 p.c of their 3-pointers and missed seven of their 16 foul pictures.
Minnesota’s Rudy Gobert is listed as questionable as he once more is coping with a again harm.
Denver regarded nothing just like the crew that went 2-5 to finish the common season. The Nuggets had a cushty lead for the highest seed and opted to relaxation many gamers down the stretch. Nikola Jokic performed simply two of the ultimate seven video games on account of calf tightness and different starters had been out and in of the lineup to relaxation for the postseason.
At least for one sport the technique paid off. Denver had six gamers rating in double figures on Sunday and Jokic, a triple-double risk each evening, had a pedestrian 13 factors and 14 rebounds however managed the tempo on the offensive finish. He is concerned by a wrist harm and is listed as questionable for Game 2.
The encouraging signal for the Nuggets was Jamal Murray’s 24 factors, eight rebounds and eight assists in his first playoff sport because the 2020 bubble in Orlando. He confirmed no ill-effects of his sore thumb or worries about his surgically-repaired left ACL that he tore two years in the past.
He admitted he was urgent early in Game 1 however led Denver’s dominant second half that sealed the sport.
“I got tired quick,” he mentioned. “I’m best when I’m feeling myself.”
The process for the Nuggets is to not get snug with a blowout win. Anderson identified that he was on a San Antonio crew that beat Oklahoma City by 32 within the first sport of their 2016 collection earlier than the Thunder ended up profitable in six video games.
Denver coach Michael Malone instructed his crew to “exceed” Minnesota’s desperation in Game 2, he shared Tuesday.
