Right when the Nuggets were on the brink of advancing to the Western Conference Finals, they suffered a historic defeat against the Timberwolves on Thursday night.
Denver’s offense struggled immensely, resulting in their worst playoff scoring game ever. Anthony Edwards scored 27 points, Jalen McDaniels added 21, and Mike Conley chipped in with 13 after returning from injury.
Timberwolves’ Defense Shines:
The real stars were Minnesota’s defenders. Rudy Gobert, Nat Reid, and Karl-Anthony Towns combined for 38 rebounds and shut down the league MVP. “Guys just believing in themselves,” said Ant. “I think the last three games we were all down on ourselves.”
“I told them I’ll see ya’ll motherfuckers for game seven”
ANT to a Nuggets locker room attendant after Game 5
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports)
Jamal Murray had a tough night but didn’t blame Edwards. “It was less about [Edwards], it was more about my elbow at that point,” he said postgame.
Murray’s Struggles:
Murray admitted his struggles: “Everybody on their team just kind of brought their game today.” He scored only 10 points on poor shooting.
Nikola Jokic was straightforward after the loss: “They beat our ass. They were better than us in every segment of the game.” He emphasized accepting defeat and striving to improve next time.
We all have bad days sometimes; it’s part of life.
“It’s a great loss,” Jokic continued. He pointed out that there was a brief moment when they led but acknowledged that it wasn’t enough to stop Minnesota.
Murray Hopes for Recovery:
Murray revealed his elbow injury from a screen during a previous game affected his performance against Minnesota. “I put some numbing cream on it,” he shared but felt restricted throughout the match.
He expressed disappointment in himself for not performing well: “It’s disappointing… I’m disappointed in myself.”
Coach Michael Malone knows what needs to be done for Game 7: “They hit us first; they hit us second; they hit us third,” he remarked. Giving credit to Minnesota, he noted they did what was necessary to force another game back in Denver.
