3 Nuggets Players Most to Blame for First Round Loss to Wolves

The Denver Nuggets' title hopes for the 2025-26 season have officially come to a close after their Game 6 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, coming in as yet another bad-looking loss and missed opportunity for a team that saw several players disappoint in the series for one reason or another.

Let's take a look at three Nuggets players who are the most to blame for their first-round loss against the Timberwolves in six games:

Jamal Murray

This was not the typical "Playoff Jamal Murray" that fans have gotten used to since the Nuggets have been competing on a postseason stage.

There's a debate this series might've been one of, if not the worst of his career, based on his much he left to be desired on the offensive side of the ball.

Murray shot less than 36% from the field on 21.5 attempts a game, shot a combined 11-42 from three, had a plus-minus in double figures for three losses in the series, and overall, just wasn't up to the standard he had been playing throughout an All-NBA caliber season to this point.

Even Murray himself admits the Nuggets needed more out of him to win this series.

Nikola Jokic

Nikola Jokic was not the worst player on the floor for the Nuggets in the series. I even graded him at a B- throughout all six games, as the three-time MVP still had his share of offensive highlights despite the losing effort.

But there were still a couple of games from Jokic–– particularly in Games 3 and 4 where he shot under 40% from the field–– that presented some real imperfections to sink the Nuggets a bit further away from taking care of business.

Jokic shot under 20% from three throughout the series, had clear turnover issues logging nearly four a game, and while still able to be a driving force to keep Denver alive for six games, wasn't at his typical "best player in the world" level status that he tends to rise up to in moments like this.

Christian Braun

Apr 27, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels (3) controls the ball as Denver Nuggets guard Christian Braun (0) guards in the third quarter during game five of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Braun was a pivotal piece for the Nuggets to lean on in their backcourt as both a connecting piece on the offensive end and someone who could be a positive presence on the perimeter defensively.

Neither quality really shined in the way Denver needed it to.

Braun averaged 8.3 points per game for the series having two games in which he scored one field goal or less, and saw multiple explosive scoring outings take place from Minnesota on the other end–– highlighted by a 40-piece from Ayo Dosunmu in Game 4–– that left him essentially invisible on both sides of the ball.

Braun’s silver lining is that he was a productive three-point shooter compared to the rest of a streaky Nuggets roster, considering he shot a combined 42.9% from beyond the arc in the series.

Still, there's no doubt that Braun enters a pivotal offseason to cement himself as worthy of his $125 million extension that's now set to kick in later this summer; an investment that's already proving to look like an ill-advised one on the Nuggets' behalf.

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