Nuggets-Timberwolves takeaways: Jaden McDaniels backs up his talk, as Minnesota dominates Game 3 with defense
Minnesota pressured and sped up the Nuggets right from the jump, resulting in a blowout victory and 2-1 series lead.
This wasn’t close. With the Denver Nuggets missing Aaron Gordon with a calf injury , the Minnesota Timberwolves jumped out to a 25-11 first-quarter lead in Game 3 and never looked back. The Wolves came away with a 113-96 victory and a 2-1 series lead behind a team effort and a dominating defensive performance that included holding Nikola Jokić to 27 points on 7-for-26 shooting.
Let’s get to some takeaways. The Minnesota Timberwolves defended The Nuggets led the NBA this season in points per game (122. 1 PPG).
The Nuggets led the NBA this season in offensive rating (121. 2). The Nuggets scored 96 points in Game 3.
Minnesota pressured and sped up the Nuggets right from the jump. By the end of the first quarter, the Nuggets were 3 for 21 from the field (1 of 9 from 3). Active ball pressure bogged the Nuggets’ attack down, physicality disrupted their off-ball movement.