The Minnesota Timberwolves came into this game following the loss to the Magic ready to get back into the win column. The Denver Nuggets came into this matchup resting 4 of their starters as they just played last night. The Nuggets didn’t have Nikola Jokic or Jamal Murray in the lineup for the game against Minnesota. The Timberwolves did get some good news as they were able to get Jordan McClaughlin back in the lineup after missing a ton of games. The only piece to the Timberwolves puzzle that needs to be added back into the miss is Karl Anthony Towns.
This was one of those games where you knew the opponent was playing without stars and you didn’t want to play down to their level. The Timberwolves did a great job of putting the Nuggets away early in this one as they had them trailing the whole game. D’Angelo Russell came out and set the tone in the 1st quarter with 14 points and that pretty much got things rolling for Minnesota. The Nuggets did have Michael Porter Jr as their primary scorer as he was the only true Nugget that can create his own shot. Porter Jr finished the game with 22 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 assist. The Timberwolves were scoring with ease and it didn’t matter who was on them tonight it felt like it was going in. Russell, Edwards, and Gobert finished the game with a combined 54 points, 13 rebounds, and 13 assists as a unit. This trio has been special as of late and they made it tough on the Nuggets tonight from the opening tip-off.
This team has shown a lot of growth and maturity throughout the season as they can beat you inside and outside. The Nuggets had no answer for Rudy Gobert in the paint tonight and he was able to make them pay. DeAndre Jordan has mileage on his legs and doesn’t have the same lift as the Clippers version to at least slow down Gobert. Anthony Edwards was more in the passing mode tonight and didn’t get his game going until the second half as he was able to get to the basket anytime he wanted. It was a tough challenge for Watson to guard Edwards and he made him pay for it. One of the bright spots in the game tonight was the fact we got the chance to see D’Angelo Russell’s playmaking ability as he was making some nasty passes getting his teammates involved. Russell finished the game with 10 assists but when his game is going like it was tonight this team is unstoppable especially when he gets into true point guard mode.
The Timberwolves bench has been very good and getting Jordan McClaughlin back in the mix gives Russell a chance to get more of a breather but gives another playmaker to the unit. Jordan helps set the tone for that second unit as he knows where Nowell & Reid like the ball. The bench has been solid and has been a perfect balance to the starters. If that 2nd unit can keep it up this will be epic for that 2nd half of the season. This Timberwolves team had it going tonight but look for the Nuggets to try and get some revenge on Tuesday in the Mile High City.
Photo Credit: (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)
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