The Good, Bad & Ugly From Nuggets' Devastating Game 4 Loss

The Denver Nuggets suffered a disappointing loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 4.

Apr 25, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert (27) and Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) position themselves for a rebound in the fourth quarter at Target Center. | Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

After a brutal Game 3 loss, everyone expected the Denver Nuggets to properly bounce back in Game 4 to even their first-round series against the Minnesota Timberwolves. However, they were extremely disappointing for the second straight game.

The Nuggets suffered a crushing 112-96 loss in Game 4 on Saturday night and now sit in a 3-1 deficit, needing to win the next three consecutive games to win the series. As we look back at what went wrong in their embarrassing Game 4 loss, and try to find a silver lining, here is the good, bad, and ugly from Saturday's game.

The Good: Familiar territory

Apr 23, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) works around Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) in the second quarter at Target Center. | Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

While coming back from a 3-1 deficit is a famously tall task, the Nuggets are no strangers to doing so. Of course, everyone remembers when the Cleveland Cavaliers overcame a 3-1 deficit against the Golden State Warriors in the 2016 NBA Finals. However, since then, only two teams have done so.

Who are those two teams? The Nuggets, twice in the 2020 NBA playoffs.

The Nuggets are the only NBA franchise since 1980 to recover from multiple 3-1 playoff deficits, and they could extend their record by doing it a third time. Especially with Anthony Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo both expected to miss the rest of the series, the Nuggets will have a leg up on Minnesota in terms of health, and getting Peyton Watson back on the court would only help.

The Bad: Defense, again

Apr 25, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Ayo Dosunmu (13) drives to the lane as Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray (27) defends in the second quarter at Target Center. | Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

The Nuggets' defense has never been their calling card, and it certainly is not getting any better in these meaningful games. Denver had a slightly improved defensive effort in the second half of Game 3 and the first half of Game 4, but things were back to normal in the final 24 minutes of Saturday's loss.

Not only did they allow Timberwolves guard Ayo Dosunmu to erupt for the best game of his career, scoring 43 points on 13-17 shooting from the field off the bench, but as a team, Minnesota outscored Denver 62-42 in the second half.

Once again, the Nuggets were destroyed in the paint, and Jokic's interior defense has become a more noticeable concern against this physical Timberwolves team.

The Ugly: Nikola Jokic in the clutch

Apr 20, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) during the second half against the Minnesota Timberwolves during game two of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Ball Arena. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The Nuggets have lost three straight games, and in each loss, three-time MVP Nikola Jokic has fallen apart in the fourth quarter. Granted, he has had some rough games all around, but he is typically expected to step up when it matters, regardless of what happens in the first three quarters.

Through three losses in this series, Jokic is shooting just 2-16 (12.5%) from the field in the fourth quarter. In Game 4, he had a complete dud in the fourth quarter, shooting 0-6 from the field.

The Nuggets have had their fair share of struggles in the clutch this season, but most of their concerns have been on the defensive end. They were the NBA's highest-rated offense in the regular season and the most efficient team from beyond the arc, yet they have reached an unexpected low in the playoffs.

The Nuggets will now head back to Denver for Game 5 on Monday with a chance to keep the series alive.

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