Jamal Murray rediscovered his groove, as did the Nuggets in Recreation 3.
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MINNEAPOLIS — You possibly can see this type of evening coming from right here to, nicely, Denver.
With their season and 2023 championship protection basically on the road, the Nuggets responded on this surprisingly one-sided Western Convention semifinal Recreation 3 with pressure and conviction. Whether or not or not the collection will take a drastic flip will likely be decided Sunday (8 ET, TNT).
However there’s no less than a way of suspense after the Nuggets gained Recreation 3 breezily and confirmed loads of flex and, nicely, determined unwillingness to fall three video games down. It was a blowout from the leap, with the Nuggets maintaining a double-digit lead for a lot of the sport and successful by 27 factors.
There was loads of Jamal Murray and shot-making from the Nuggets and plenty of shoddy stretches at each rims by the Wolves. Because of this, Minnesota misplaced for the primary time in seven video games in these playoffs as their lead on this collection was lower in half by a dominant and decided Denver response.
It was the biggest Recreation 3 margin of victory by a crew that dropped the primary two video games at residence in postseason historical past, and particularly spectacular coming off a 26-point Recreation 2 loss.
Listed below are 5 takeaways from the Nuggets’ 117-90 win, and a collection that’s now 2-1 Minnesota:
1. Murray in a rush to reply
The Goal Middle followers booed Murray proper from the introductions, primarily as a result of he was truly within the introductions.
Various have been sad that Murray was allowed to play in any respect; he dodged a suspension (however not a tremendous) from the league workplace for throwing gadgets on the ground in Recreation 2.
With out Murray, the Nuggets don’t win this sport. That’s as a result of this was the very best end result from Murray all through these playoffs. Till Friday, he was principally reckless and inefficient — even within the Laker collection when he hit huge game-deciding jumpers.
Murray was clearly on a mission to alter all that in Recreation 3. Fortunate for him, the three off-days after Recreation 2 helped his sore calf.
Consequently, Murray was frisky from the primary quarter, zipping between double-teams, stepping again for jumpers, getting 18 of his 24 factors by halftime, and taking management of the sport.
Murray now has just one off-day earlier than Recreation 4, so the calf muscle may as soon as once more be a difficulty.
“That is most likely the very best it’s felt going right into a sport,” he mentioned, “Nevertheless it tightened up a bit on the finish.”
Three days off did wonders for Jamal Murray, who scores 24 factors on 11-for-21 capturing in Denver’s 117-90 victory.
2. Minnesota makes a return to earth
Actually, these playoffs represented the very best the Wolves may supply. Their protection was historic, Anthony Edwards volcanic, and their depth merely wore down the Suns within the first spherical and, by means of the primary two video games of this semifinal, the Nuggets.
However this was a not-so-welcome-back to normalcy for a crew that, whereas definitely strong and a contender, got here with flaws. And people points haunted the Wolves in Recreation 3, primarily on the offensive finish.
Minnesota couldn’t shoot straight from deep, didn’t match the Nuggets’ sense of urgency and by no means generated any traction to battle again from its first actual deficit within the playoffs. Moreover, the sellout crowd was by no means an element, and followers started beating visitors residence midway by means of the fourth quarter.
“I haven’t seen a crew win 16 straight within the playoffs,” mentioned Wolves middle Karl-Anthony Cities. However, he added, “We simply must be a greater model of ourselves. We weren’t tonight.”
Aside from Cities, the Wolves shot 5-for-28 on 3s, scored simply 41 factors within the first half and allowed the Nuggets to roam free offensively — a near-reversal from Minnesota’s decisive Recreation 2 win.
“Our decision-making wasn’t there, basic motion wasn’t there,” mentioned Wolves coach Chris Finch. “Not lots of good issues on both finish of the ground.”
3. Nuggets crack Wolves’ code with deep capturing
A sport in the past the Nuggets have been fully flummoxed by the Wolves’ urgent and trapping. It stripped away all the pieces Denver does nicely — particularly capturing.
That modified abruptly on Friday. The Nuggets’ intention was true all evening; they made practically half of their 3-point pictures and linked on 54% general for the sport, particularly spectacular given the standard of protection normally performed by the Wolves.
The great thing about the Nuggets is their calm and deliberate tempo, fostered by a way of familiarity and skill to seek out the open man. It is a product of an organically grown crew — an offense that works like a Swiss timepiece — run by Nikola Jokic, maybe the best passing huge man in historical past.
None of this was evident final Monday when the Nuggets unraveled, shot 35% general and 30% from deep whereas trying nothing just like the crew that raised the trophy a yr in the past.
However that was then. One sport can change the circulate of a collection, and in that sense, the Nuggets aren’t taking an excessive amount of from Recreation 3.
“We’re removed from doing something to have a good time,” mentioned Nuggets coach Michael Malone.
4. McDaniels’ fouls have been an element
It was a refined improvement involving a participant who appears to work within the shadows, and it helped the sport get away from the Wolves.
When swingman Jaden McDaniels developed early foul hassle, the Wolves have been stripped of arguably their most vital defender. That’s how a lot McDaniels’ worth has grown, not solely on this collection, however all season, truly.
McDaniels is tasked with being a velocity bump for Murray, and thru two video games he did that job nicely — Murray by no means drew blood from the Wolves. Then got here Friday. Murray introduced the vitality, and so did McDaniels, although possibly an excessive amount of.
His fouls restricted McDaniels to solely seven first-half minutes, and by then, the Nuggets and Murray have been in management, up 15 factors and cruising.
5. Nuggets regain swagger
This 48-minute efficiency by the Nuggets appeared acquainted. As in, it appeared like final yr’s crew that had few hiccups on the best way to a championship.
That crew hadn’t appeared within the 2024 playoffs, till now. Despite the fact that the Nuggets wanted simply 5 video games to get previous the Lakers within the first spherical, they trailed at halftime of every sport, then scrambled to win all 4.
The primary two video games on this collection have been forgettable, particularly Recreation 2, when their physique language was foul in a 26-point loss.
The Nuggets have been constant on this respect: they remained powerful on the highway. They’re now 8-4, stretching again to final postseason.
So that they reached again for a 2023 throwback and it agreed with them Friday. The ball moved, Jokic went for 24-14-9, Murray bounced off screens and defenders and the Nuggets stored the Wolves on a treadmill.
“That was Denver Nuggets basketball,” Malone mentioned.
Malone cited his crew’s rally from a pair of 3-1 deficits within the bubble as proof of its psychological toughness, and likewise spliced collectively chatter of Denver doom during the last three days by TV discuss reveals as motivation.
“Our guys answered the bell,” Malone mentioned. “They nonetheless consider.”
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Shaun Powell has coated the NBA for greater than 25 years. You may e-mail him right here, discover his archive right here and follow him on X.
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