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The Minnesota Timberwolves played without Defensive Player of the Year finalist Rudy Gobert on Monday.
It did not matter.
The Timberwolves clamped down on the Denver Nuggets early on and cruised to a crushing 106-80 victory. The point total marked the lowest of the season for Denver and the second time in two playoff games that the Timberwolves held the Nuggets under 100 points.
With the win, Minnesota took a 2-0 series lead with a pair of road wins over the reigning NBA champions.
Can the Nuggets return the series to Denver?
Barring significant adjustments in Games 3 and 4, the champions could have played their final home game of the season. The Timberwolves have been the better team through two games by an overwhelming margin and return to Minnesota with a chance to close out the series at home.
It adds to an impressive first two games of the conference semifinals for a Nuggets team that was never trailing in a series and lost just four playoff games on its way to last season’s NBA title. There was little Monday that he looked like a home team title contender that struggled to accomplish anything against the NBA’s best defense.
Timberwolves take advantage of injured Jamal Murray
Minnesota picked up where it left off Monday after Friday’s 106-99 victory. The Timberwolves took a 28-20 lead in the first quarter, holding Nuggets stars Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. scoreless in the process. Murray is hobbled by a nagging calf injury suffered in the first round against the Los Angeles Lakers. The Timberwolves repeatedly took advantage of that vulnerability with defensive pressure and traps that made the Nuggets point guard nervous.
The effort was rewarded in the box score. At halftime, Murray was still scoreless and MVP favorite Nikola Jokić was held to eight points. The combined halftime point total of Denver’s top two scorers marked the lowest of the season.
On offense, Anthony Edwards continued to do his thing. The rising star scored 16 points in the first half following his 43-point outburst in Game 1. Fellow All-Star Karl Anthony Towns scored 20 at halftime as Denver failed to match Minnesota’s defensive intensity.
Minnesota outscored Denver 33-15 in the second quarter en route to a 61-35 halftime lead. The 26-point deficit was the largest at home in Nuggets playoff history.
The game ended in the middle.
There was no challenge from Denver after halftime. The Timberwolves extended their lead in the third quarter to 73-41, and the Nuggets never got closer than 19 points again.
With the Timberwolves leading, 95-70, and Edwards at the free throw line, MVP chants broke out for Minnesota’s burgeoning star. The home fans had begun to leave the Ball Arena. Nuggets head coach Michael Malone emptied his bench with more than three minutes left and the Timberwolves led, 99-75.
Edwards again led the Timberwolves with 27 points to go along with seven assists, two rebounds and steals. He continued to attack the basket and score tough baskets that are becoming his signature throughout these playoffs.
Towns shared the scoring lead with 27 points, 12 rebounds, one steal and two blocks.
Sixth Man of the Year Naz Reid took over Gobert’s role as rim protector with 14 points, four rebounds and four blocks in 29 minutes off the bench. Nickeil Alexander-Walker was tasked with applying pressure on the perimeter and scored 14 points, six rebounds and three blocks off the bench. Four Timberwolves players had two steals each.
The Nuggets had no answers
Aaron Gordon was Denver’s lone offensive bright spot with 20 points on an 8-of-14 shooting night. Jokić was the only other Nuggets starter in double figures with 16 points to go along with 16 rebounds and eight assists. He shot 5 of 13 from the field and recorded four turnovers, marking an improvement from his tally of seven turnovers in Game 1.
Murray finished with eight points, 13 rebounds, two assists and two steals. He turned the ball over four times and shot 3 of 18 from the field. He missed all four of his 3-point attempts. Denver has a decision to make before Game 3 on Friday if Murray doesn’t show significant improvement from his calf injury.
As a team, the Nuggets shot 34.9% from the field and 30% (9 of 30) from 3-point range. They committed 16 turnovers. The Timberwolves responded with a 50.6% effort from the field and 39.4% (13 of 33) from beyond the arc.
Once again, the Timberwolves did all of this without Gobert, who was home Monday morning for the birth of his son. He attempted to travel to Denver in time for Monday’s game, but weather complications prevented him from doing so. He will presumably be ready for Game 3 with his Timberwolves holding a 2-0 series lead.