It's official: the Minnesota Timberwolves are in grave danger. Entering Game 5 of their second-round clash against the reigning champion Denver Nuggets in the 2024 NBA playoffs, the Timberwolves have seemingly lost all momentum after they took a 2-0 lead heading into Target Center and came away empty handed as they headed back on the road. Mike Conley having to miss Game 5 due to an Achilles injury did not help matters whatsoever. In the end, the Timberwolves were outplayed and outgunned as the Nuggets took a 112-97 victory to take control of the series, 3-2.
Minnesota was very impressive on the road to start the series; in Game 1, their game plan against Nikola Jokic worked to perfection, with Rudy Gobert showing why he's the deserving Defensive Player of the Year. In Game 2, the Timberwolves put up their best performance of the season as they laughed the Nuggets off their home floor. But the Nuggets flex their championship mettle and have now rattled off three straight wins.
This is the most adversity this year's Timberwolves have faced. Their backs are now against the wall, although the comfort is that they'll be heading home for Game 6 to play in front of a Target Center crowd that will cheer them on with all of their breaths. But before then, they will have to look back at what happened in Game 5 and see how they could adjust; after all, there is no better teacher than experience.
Nikola Jokic is the ultimate puzzle no one can solve
The common counterstrategy to try and limit Nikola Jokic's effectiveness as the Nuggets' central offensive hub was to put a very capable post defender on him, pushing him out to the perimeter, while parking the team's best rim protector on Aaron Gordon. This strategy allows teams to send help towards Jokic from much higher on the court, and it has a secondary effect of forcing Gordon to make plays. Gordon, in fact, has functioned as their play initiator at times during their series against the Timberwolves.
In Game 1, this strategy worked to perfection. Rudy Gobert was on point with his help, while the Timberwolves' perimeter defenders were as stifling as ever. They went over screens diligently, and caught up to the ballhandler as the offense went downhill. This allowed them to stay at home on shooters, forcing them to take contested shots from around the midrange area. The Nuggets had difficulties in the first two games because of this.
But Nikola Jokic is the MVP for a reason. Jokic is as complete of an offensive player as there is; he might not be too overwhelming athletically, but he has all the moves in the bag thanks to his exquisite footwork all the while having the scoring touch of a guard. In Game 5, Jokic went into complete takeover mode in the third quarter of their win over the Timberwolves, sending them away with a barrage of attacks on the basket, and against Gobert no less.
With the Timberwolves starting off the third quarter on a strong note, Jokic took it upon himself to drive dagger upon dagger into the heart of Minnesota's defense. As the great LeBron James once said, “two points ain't two points”; Jokic's baskets were backbreaking, as he got into the paint at will and contorted his body every which way to score over the outstretched arms of Gobert. He went 6-7 in the third quarter for 16 points, and he finished the game with 40 points on 16-21 shooting, while adding seven rebounds and 13 assists — insane stuff from the newly-crowned MVP.
It might be easy for some analysts to blame Gobert for getting torched by Jokic time and time again. But when the Nuggets star is in that kind of rhythm, who in the world is stopping him? Could Gobert and the rest of the Timberwolves' big men have done a better job? Of course. But sometimes greatness just finds a way to shine through. Jokic is a three-time MVP and a future Hall of Famer for a reason, and when he has it going the way he did in Game 5, defenses can only pray that he misses.
Karl-Anthony Towns' foul trouble dooms the Timberwolves
On Tuesday night, Karl-Anthony Towns was the Timberwolves' best player. He bounced back in a major way from his terrible Game 4, and his body language indicated that he was going to leave it all on the line for Minnesota as they aimed to regain control of the series. He was hopping around on the court, and he had a bit of zip on his step as he made his signature marauding drives towards the basket.
He finished with a team-high 23 points on 10-19 shooting, which is good enough. But one underrated subplot of this game was that Towns found himself in foul trouble early on in the game. And it's not like he picked them up when protecting the rim. He got them on ticky-tack fouls along the perimeter when he stuck a hand out or when he was guilty of a handcheck.
The Timberwolves badly needed Towns' offense, so they could not risk putting him on Nikola Jokic on defense especially when the Nuggets star was on a heater during the third quarter of Game 5. This took Minnesota out of its usual game plan against Jokic. Naz Reid didn't do particularly well when he was tasked to guard Jokic, and that was all she wrote for them in Game 5.
Towns has to be more careful with his fouls in Game 6, especially when the Timberwolves will be needing him to do extra work on offense amid the uncertainty of Mike Conley's playing status.
Anthony Edwards goes cold
Anthony Edwards was the Timberwolves' main bright spot in Game 4. He put up 44 points as he tried to will Minnesota back into the game; although they fell short, Edwards showed why his stock as one of the game's biggest superstars is rising fast.
Game 5, however, did not go according to plan for Edwards. His jumpshot deserted him, and he couldn't dominate as much as he did in Game 4 with the Nuggets sending a double team towards him on nearly every possession. Edwards finished off his lackluster Tuesday night with 18 points on 5-15 shooting, although he's not solely to blame for the team's struggles offensively during their Game 5 defeat.
The Nuggets basically had the license to stifle Edwards' driving lanes due to the Timberwolves' inability to make threes. There was a glaring lack of space for Edwards to work with; nonetheless, as the Timberwolves' best player, the responsibility to lift the team to victory falls on his shoulders. He has to be better in Game 6 or else their season will be over soon.
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