Tim Hardaway Jr. Said Something Interesting After Nuggets-Wolves Game 2

The Denver Nuggets came up short in their efforts to extend their first-round lead 2-0 over the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 2, 115-119, which leaves them traveling on the road with ground to make up to retain their homecourt advantage, now evaporated after just two showings.

It wasn't a game the Nuggets never had a chance in. Denver led by as much as 19 in the midst of the first quarter until the Timberwolves would claw their way back in the second half, and left Jokic and Co. simply run out of gas in the final fourth-quarter stretch.

In the mind of Nuggets' sixth man Tim Hardaway Jr., he felt the results of that Game 2 loss came to one major factor: missed shots; a factor you'd expect to be a non-issue for a number-one offense like Denver, but made for a second-straight game of offensive deficiencies nonetheless.

"Missed shots. We converted on a lot of the shots that we took that were open. I feel like we could have stretched the game out," Hardaway Jr. said postgame. "They got a lot of second-chance shots, second-chance opportunities. So, I think we have to limit those."

"But other than that, just have to relish our opportunities, knock down our shots when we’re open, and free-throws, for sure."

Why is the Nuggets' Offense Disappointing?

The playoffs present a newfound level of intensity for any team in the league, so to see the Nuggets' offensive prowess scale back just a bit wouldn't be too shocking as possessions get longer, tougher, and lower scoring.

But the Nuggets' shot-making–– especially from outside–– just hasn't been there to start the first two games of their playoff stretch.

Game 1 resulted in Denver cashing in just 10 of 36 shots from outside (27.8%) and a combined 2-15 clip from three, and they fell to a bleak 5-21 (23.8%) in the second half of Game 2, that resulted in the tides turning in Minnesota's favor.

Considering the lapses that the Nuggets have proven to have defensively, those wrinkles in the offense and its effectiveness are big hits to Denver's plan for success in the series.

If the shots aren't falling and the Timberwolves continue to show their edge in defense and physicality, the latter tends to win out in most postseason settings.

Apr 20, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Bones Hyland (8) defends on Denver Nuggets guard Tim Hardaway Jr. (10) in the first half during game two of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

That means, for the Nuggets, Game 3 needs to have a focus all about keying in on their opportunities from three.

Denver has consistently been one of the best at doing so all season. That’s led them to being a top-three seed in the West, and now is not the time to lose that spark in a momentum-shifting game like Game 3 can be.

A defining stat to keep in mind for the Nuggets moving forward: for games that they've shot better than 41% from three throughout the regular season, they've got a combined record of 28-2. One of those losses also came against the reigning champion OKC Thunder, the other being against the lottery-bound Dallas Mavericks (somehow).

Simply put, the sooner the Nuggets can get back in their groove as one of the best three-point shooting teams around the league, the sooner they'll be able to advance past their challenging round one task against Minnesota.

So far though, even while they are tied 1-1 in the count, they're 0-2 when it comes to having that efficient shooting night in the first two games––thus making Thursday's meeting in the Twin Cities even more pressing to turn things around.

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