The Wolves need to stick to their defensive game plan against Denver

The Minnesota Timberwolves had the league’s No. 1 defense all season. They put their defensive skills on full display against the Phoenix Suns and their star talent, Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal. With a second-round matchup against the Denver Nuggets on the horizon, the Wolves will have to keep their game plan disciplined during what should be a much tougher series.

In a preview of the Wolves-Nuggets game, national media can expect the Timberwolves to guard Nikola Jokic with soon-to-be three-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert. However, this is unlikely to be the case. In the regular season, Minnesota used Gobert as a roamer, as a safety in football, while putting Karl-Anthony Towns or another big player on the Joker.

When these teams played each other in the first round last year, we saw a glimpse of this strategy working for the Wolves. After winning the championship, former Nuggets guard Bruce Brown said the Wolves were their toughest challenge during their championship run. The Timberwolves weren’t completely healthy last year and should be better positioned to challenge Denver in the upcoming series. Injuries to Naz Reid and Jaden McDaniels affected the depth, and the team never found their rhythm in last year’s series. Towns also missed 56 games and the Wolves acquired Mike Conley at the trade deadline to replace D’Angelo Russell.

At full strength, Minnesota’s length and athleticism often disrupt a team’s rhythm, and they have plenty of options to throw at their opponents. Their perimeter defense consists of McDaniels, Anthony Edwards and Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and they have Gobert, Towns, Reid and Kyle Anderson to guard the paint.

The Timberwolves signed Tim Connelly away from Denver in 2022, and it appears he has put together Minnesota’s roster to beat the Nuggets. Connelly’s initial desire for the Wolves this season was to win a playoff series. Now that the Wolves have done that, his team must take down the defending NBA champions.

In addition to Jokic’s brilliance, Nuggets guard Jamal Murray was often a difference maker in their playoffs. In their first round win against the Los Angeles Lakers, Murray averaged 24 points, 7 assists, and 5 rebounds per game. He even scored two wins for Denver in the series with his game winners in Games 2 and 5, respectively.

In Round 1, Minnesota held Devin Booker and Bradley Beal in check as their field goal percentage suffered, and they looked disrupted with many offensive possessions. Although Jamal Murray, a player with 0 All-Star games under his belt, is considered inferior to the two Phoenix guards, his career playoff numbers have been spectacular and he has shown he can hurt the Wolves in a play-off setting. Although McDaniels missed last year’s series, the Wolves still had Edwards and Alexander-Walker available to throw to Murray.

The difference is that the Lakers don’t have the personnel to impact Murray the way the Wolves do. In the regular season, Murray hasn’t performed at his best in three games against the Wolves, but he has stepped up in the biggest moments. Nevertheless, it will still be a challenge for Minnesota considering what Murray did to them in their last playoff series.

There’s a commercial during the playoffs where players dismiss the idea that a playoff version of themselves exists: “It’s nothing,” they say. For Murray, it’s been a thing for a long time, and anyone watching should be aware of it by now. Based on name value, it might seem like an easier job for the Wolves to guard in this series. But the Nuggets have a championship DNA that doesn’t exist in Phoenix. Given the history of this matchup, Minnesota and Denver should be ready for what’s to come.

The Wolves and Nuggets split the regular season series 2-2. The final two games had playoff implications in the battle for No. 1 in the West, but both teams were dealing with injuries. While regular season games can’t be a good indicator of how competitive a playoff series will be, that hasn’t necessarily been the case with these two teams.

Minnesota also split the season series with the Nuggets 2-2 last year, but lost the playoff series 4-1. However, Denver saw the Wolves as their toughest challenge. Why? That’s because these teams know each other well. The Timberwolves know how to disrupt Denver’s plays and make their stars uncomfortable. Likewise, Denver knows how to combat Minnesota’s physicality. Jokic is unstoppable, but he has shown that he is uncomfortable with Minnesota’s pressure.

If the Wolves want to have a chance in this series, it starts with the defensive looks they give the 29-year-old Serbian. After Minnesota’s closeout game against the Suns, Edwards told Towns to stop making mistakes in their postgame presser. It was blunt, but it was the truth. That’s why Edwards has received so much praise during this playoff run. At the age of 22, he has taken on a leadership role for one of the best teams in the league.

Towns and Minnesota’s big men need to stay out of trouble in this series. While their occasional lack of availability didn’t cost them anything in Round 1, it almost certainly will in Round 2 with Jokic and Aaron Gordon. The Wolves will not want Gobert to guard Jokic, and the fewer bodies, the more likely they will be forced into that decision. As good as Gobert is at protecting the paint, Jokic has shown his dominance against the Frenchman in the past.

Round 2 will be a tough match for the Wolves, but they will have plenty of time to prepare as before. Chris Finch’s status following his surgery has yet to be determined. Still, the coaching staff will have their guys ready for what should be the most intriguing matchup in the second round.