The Timberwolves essentially could’ve clinched the No. 1 seed in the West and home court for the duration of the conference playoffs with a win Wednesday in Denver.
They didn’t get it.
Instead, Minnesota was turned away by the defending champs, falling 116-107 to the Nuggets.
Denver (56-24) now holds a one-game lead over the Wolves (55-25) with just two games to play, and the Timberwolves are tied with Oklahoma City in the standings. Minnesota holds the tiebreaker over both teams, but the Wolves now have to win each of their final two games to guarantee a top-two seed.
Minnesota isn’t dead in the race for the top seed in the Western Conference, but it now needs Denver and Oklahoma City to each lose once, or the Nuggets to lose both of their two remaining contest. That appears highly unlikely given Denver’s final two games are against cellar dwellers in San Antonio and Memphis.
Minnesota simply didn’t rise to the occasion in the fourth frame Wednesday.
For the first two and a half quarters, the Wolves looked like the better team, as they’ve looked throughout much of the previous three meetings this season. Minnesota matches up well with Denver.
But Denver knows how to execute to close out big games late. The Nuggets had to do it numerous times en route to their championship last spring. After the Wolves defense appeared to give Denver trouble at various moments on Wednesday, Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic shredded Minnesota time and time again over the final eight minutes in Denver.
The Nuggets got whatever shot they wanted. Jokic was the catalyst. Even against Rudy Gobert — the presumptive Defensive Player of the Year — Jokic scored with ease. The best player in basketball finished with 41 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists while going 16 for 20 from the field.
And when Minnesota had to compensate for his dominance, Jokic simply used his gravity to find teammates for open jumpers or cutting finishes.
The game was tied 84-all with fewer than 10 minutes to play, only to see Denver go on a 26-10 run to put the game away.
Minnesota’s Achilles’ heel all season has been clutch-time performance, and the Wolves were taken to school in late-game execution by Denver down the stretch. By game’s end, Minnesota misses were routinely resulting in Denver dunks on the other end. What looked like a title bout quickly devolved into a laugher.
Wolves coach Chris Finch emptied Minnesota’s bench with 2 minutes, 40 seconds to play and the Wolves down 16.
That late-game weakness likely cost Minnesota the No. 1 seed in the West. The challenge now is for the Wolves to make sure it doesn’t cost them a playoff series.
That will be the narrative moving away from Wednesday’s contest. All season, the Wolves — even amid their success — have been doubted at the national level. They’ve been lauded for their success, but never taken seriously as a title contender.
No one who watched the fourth quarter Wednesday on ESPN will think any differently.
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