SUMMARY
- The Timberwolves have secured two road game wins against the Nuggets, one without Rudy Gobert.
- Charles Barkley believes the Nuggets will get swept by the Timberwolves at the Target Center.
It is high time that the Minnesota Timberwolves get the respect they truly deserve. Not only did they maintain the defensive rating in the league during the regular season, but even in the post-season. It was very apparent that the Wolves are going to be a tough matchup for any team that faces them in the future during Game 2 versus the Denver Nuggets. They held Denver to 80 points even without the Defensive Player of the Year frontrunner, Rudy Gobert.
HOW’S THAT FOR ELEVATION??? pic.twitter.com/t1RfdckHAP
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) May 7, 2024
Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns were quite impressive throughout the game scoring 27 points each. However, the Wolves bench should be given props for dominating the floor while the stars spectated from the bench. Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Naz Reid scored 14 points each. The Wolves’ bench outscored Denver’s second unit 37-23. The Wolves held a double-digit lead through three-quarters of the game.
The Timberwolves have changed Charles Barkley’s mind
After a dominant Game 2 performance, the Timberwolves had the legendary Charles Barkley praising them during the post-game analysis. He said, “This series is a wrap. Minnesota is better than the Nuggets. No, disrespect, they don’t have an advantage. The MVP is getting outplayed, they don’t have an advantage anywhere. Jamal Murray, I think he’s still hurt a little bit, but other than that they don’t have an advantage anywhere. This series is a wrap.”
He added, “The Minnesota Timberwolves, you know, I said before the season I didn’t believe in them. They have changed my mind one hundred percent… They have that guy [Anthony Edwards]. And if you have that guy, that boy, that bulldog, he might as well be a damn wolf. He ain’t messing around.” Edwards is certainly the player all teams have to keep an eye out for. He averages 32.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, 5.8 assists, and 1.8 steals per game this post-season.
Nikola Jokic needs to bring more to the table for the Nuggets to surpass the Timberwolves
The Timberwolves completely held Nikola Jokic to a halt as he finished with 16 points, 16 rebounds, and 8 assists. Jamal Murray couldn’t shoot well going 3-18 from the field while Aaron Gordon scored 20 points to alleviate the damage. Barkley didn’t fail to point out how poorly Jokic performed with Gobert in the picture. Despite having a 32-point performance in Game 1, Gobert managed to restrict Jokic from rebounding the ball and the Wolves did a good job by limiting his ability to create shots for the open teammate.
Naz Reid incredible post defense on Nikola Jokic, wow pic.twitter.com/o8uTyFmxqb
— Timberwolves Clips (@WolvesClips) May 7, 2024
The Wolves are currently witnessing their longest playoff win streak securing victories in six straight games. Based on information provided by Real GM, the Timberwolves have never won more than two consecutive games in a playoff series. The Nuggets haven’t looked like a championship team since the start of the series. And if the Wolves manage to get a 3-0 lead, the series might as well be given to them.