Short-handed Timberwolves look vulnerable in Game 5 loss to Nuggets

The Minnesota Timberwolves raced out to a 3-1 lead, but it might have cost them everything. Game 5 on Monday, April 27, when the Denver Nuggets outpaced Minnesota, 125-113, in the first round of the NBA playoffs, was just one game. But it also served as an indicator of just how much Minnesota is missing without Anthony Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo. Denver outscored Minnesota by a margin of 37-24 in a third-quarter avalanche, as the Nuggets are now the 14th team in NBA history to win a playoff series after trailing 3-1. The Nuggets’ bench had scored just 16 points in the crushing Game 4 loss; on Monday night, the reserves scored 27. Cameron Johnson and Spencer Jones combined to drop 38 points in Game 5, just two nights after they scored only 9. The Nuggets harassed Minnesota’s ball-handlers, forcing 25 turnovers—three more than Minnesota’s combined total in Games 3 and 4. The Timberwolves played tight and pressed, seemingly hyper-aware of the players they were missing. Coach Chris Finch noted, ‘I thought we started the game wanting to make all of the home run plays, instead of wanting to make the plays that help us get into the ball game and make the rhythm plays.’ Edwards’ absence hurts the Timberwolves, as he’s a stabilizing presence and a dynamic scorer averaging 28.8 points per game. Backup guard Ayo Dosunmu emerged in Game 4 with a 43-point performance but won’t provide consistent production without Edwards. The Timberwolves shrank a 27-point deficit to 10 midway through the fourth, but that run came when Denver eased pressure. The Spurs, a likely second-round opponent, are a legitimate threat. The Timberwolves will need pristine defense, especially in the paint, where they limited Denver to 38.7 points per game in Games 2, 3, and 4. In Game 5, that figure ballooned to 62. Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert was effective against Nikola Jokić, and forward Jaden McDaniels irritated Jamal Murray. Forward Julius Randle said, ‘I think we were all just trying to press and make plays a little bit too much. The formula was still the same, so we don’t have to change that. We’ll be better next game.’