Timberwolves know Nuggets will make them pay for their mistakes

Denver is a team that isn't going to beat itself.

May 12, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) works around / Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

As the Timberwolves prepared for their Western Conference semifinal series against the Denver Nuggets, they knew the defending champions were a team that doesn’t beat themselves. 

The Nuggets capitalize on their opponents’ mistakes. They don’t make many of their own. Sometimes it’s subtle — they’ll push the pace if a player on the opposition is complaining to the officials. They obviously will make their opponents pay for turnovers. But a big part of what has made the Nuggets such a tough opponent, and a championship team, is because of that nature.

They don't beat themselves.

So even though the Timberwolves had fewer turnovers — 11 to the Nuggets’ 12 — and more points off those turnovers — 20 to the Nuggets’ 11 — in Sunday night's Game 4, it felt like Minnesota's just hurt more. The result would also indicate that as the Nuggets beat the Wolves 115-107 at Target Center in Minneapolis, evening the series at two games apiece.

“I think the thing that stood out about the turnovers was the timeliness. When we got a little momentum or coming back into the game, we got a couple offensive foul calls,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said. “… Against a team that’s executing and making shots, that’s really hard, so that’s really what hurt us more than anything.” 

That was best exemplified by a run at the end of the second quarter. The Timberwolves were making a run. They had trailed by as many as 16 points during the quarter, but Anthony Edwards drilled a 3-pointer that cut their deficit to seven points with just under a minute remaining in the half.

But then the Nuggets feasted on their mistakes. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope first answered Edwards' 3 with one of his own. Edwards then turned it over, and it led to a transition dunk for Michael Porter Jr. Jamal Murray stole the ensuing inbounds pass from Nickeil Alexander-Walker and chucked up a half court shot that went right through the hoop to beat the halftime buzzer.

That made it an 8-0 Nuggets run in the final 30 seconds of the first half, and it extended a seven-point lead to 15. The game wasn't over there, but it put the Wolves in an uphill battle the rest of the night.

“That should never happen and especially in big games like this,” Mike Conley said. “We’ve had moments throughout the games that we just have to be better.”

There was never another moment that painful, but the Nuggets made the Timberwolves pay for defensive lapses throughout the night, too. Aaron Gordon continued to find his way to the paint for easy buckets. He scored 27 points on 11-for-12 shooting.

Jamal Murray would knock down shots anytime Minnesota gave him space. Nikola Jokic created his own space, either for his own shot or to open things up for his teammates. Murray finished with 19 points and eight assists, while Jokic put up 35 points and seven rebounds. 

“I mean, they got the best player in the world, and he’s got the ball the entire game, so anytime you make a mistake, he sees it. It’s hard to beat that,” Edwards said. 

The Timberwolves will have to play cleaner Tuesday night for Game 5 in Denver. The Nuggets don't beat themselves. The Wolves can't have those same defensive lapses, they can't allow turnovers to turn into eight-point swings in the waning seconds of the first half. There are things to clean up.

But at the same time, the sky isn't falling. The Timberwolves always knew the Nuggets weren't going to go down without a fight. They're the defending champions for a reason. They expected a series.

“They’re not going to lay down, they’re gonna punch and we’re gonna punch back,” Edwards said. “And they beat us up (Sunday), the last few nights, they beat us up. And that’s OK. We’ll be alright and bounce back, figure it out next game and we’ll be ready again.” 

It'll be a short turnaround with Game 5 coming up on Tuesday, but Edwards prefers it that way. He felt that the days off in between Games 2 and 3 hurt the Timberwolves. Edwards said he thought that was why the Wolves came out sluggish in Game 3 Friday night. He's excited to get back out and compete.

It's a 2-2 series tie against the defending champions. That's something Edwards thrives on. And everyone in the Timberwolves locker room knew they weren't going to be able to steamroll the Nuggets. The pressure is back on the Wolves now to get back to playing their brand of basketball and imposing their will on the Nuggets. They certainly know the Nuggets aren't going to do them any favors. After all, they just don't beat themselves.

“That’s where our emotions have to be in check. Our mental state has to be in check to where we can stay so engaged in the game that we don’t let those lapses happen,” Conley said.