SUMMARY
- The Nuggets pulled off an incredible series against the LA Lakers.
- Draymond Green appreciates the Nuggets' work but claims their bench could lead them to a downfall vs Timberwolves.
After yet another impressive run against the Los Angeles Lakers, Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets are all set to face their biggest competition yet. Denver managed to take a massive 3-0 lead, which is something no team has ever been able to overcome. LA took away game 4 somehow to avoid getting swept for the second time. Even though LA had Game 5 in their books for the most part, Denver delivered a shocking end.
JAMAL MURRAY GAME WINNER BUZZER BEATER 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/ozIPowSnSn
— Clutch Time (@ClutchPage) April 23, 2024
All credits go to Jamal Murray, who was possibly the MVP of the series. He averaged 23.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 7.2 assists per game during the series. And Murray was responsible for delivering two buzzer-beaters in Games 2 and 5. Now, the Lakers organization has been sent into a frenzy, especially with the risk of losing LeBron James if he opts out of his player option. On the other hand, Denver has a big series coming up.
Draymond Green critiques the Nuggets’ bench lineup
Draymond Green recently discussed the possibility of the Denver Nuggets moving past the second round on the newest episode of his podcast. The Nuggets have a great starting lineup with three players averaging over 20 points per game. Defensively, they’ve shown incredible grit, but Green believes their bench players aren’t good enough to survive the Minnesota Timberwolves.
He said, “The Nuggets took the series but I think they’re in trouble. The reason I think they’re in trouble and I said this before, I just don’t think their bench is good enough. And we saw that again the other night, like they’re just not getting enough from their bench.” He went on to add, “The matchup between Joker and Rudy Gobert trying to guard him is huge. But, I’ve always told you guys, you win championships six through 10, not one through five.”
Green feels like the Timberwolves are hungry to compete deep in the playoffs, especially after getting past a daring team that excels on offense. He added, “I think they’re poised to try to make a deeper run and they’re feeling that and they want that. So, that’ll be an interesting series.” The Timberwolves had the best defensive rating in the league this season anchored by possible 4x DPOY Rudy Gobert. However, the role players are just as capable as Gobert is on defense.
The Timberwolves and Nuggets are far apart in net rating
Net rating is something that describes how well a team does when certain players are on the floor. The Timberwolves have a 13.9 net rating which ranks third in the league while the Nuggets have a 3.7 rating which is sixth in the league. When you compare both starting lineups, the Wolves have a much stronger defense, and pairing Gobert against Jokic or even doubling him in the paint with Karl-Anthony Towns could bring his offensive numbers tumbling.
Regular season stats show that Minnesota also had incredibly good productivity on the floor with their bench unit. They had the second-best net rating while the Nuggets barely touched the top 20. In terms of scoring alone, the Wolves’ Naz Reid and Nickeil Alexander-Walker averaged at least 10 points per game coming off the bench in the playoffs. Nobody from the Nuggets’ bench lineup averages more than 5 points per game. This undoubtedly might be a problem for the Nuggets.