Down four starters to accidents, Nuggets fall to Timberwolves on the road

While no workforce ever needs to lose, Sunday’s defeat was one the Nuggets might tolerate.

Nikola Jokic (hamstring), Jamal Murray (knee administration), Aaron Gordon (ankle) and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (ankle) didn’t even journey, not to mention play, as the Nuggets fell, 128-98, at the Timberwolves.

Though the accidents have been all respectable, the workforce’s choice, partly, had quite a bit to do with the undeniable fact that solely 22 hours separated Saturday’s recreation from Sunday’s contest. Not to point out, Denver, now 37-17, will host the Timberwolves on Tuesday at dwelling.

Rather than threat any accidents to their core gamers, the Nuggets performed quite a few reserves. The expertise deficiency was obvious with 21 turnovers and 72 Minnesota factors in the paint.

The consequence didn’t a lot matter to Nuggets coach Michael Malone, who was laughing with reserve guard Ish Smith late in the fourth quarter as Minnesota salted away the win. But inside the loss, there have been a number of fascinating developments. Here’s what mattered.

Where’s the offense? Michael Porter Jr. paced the workforce with 22 factors on 16 photographs however was solely 2 for 10 from 3-point vary. As lethal a scorer as he’s, Porter’s worth rises exponentially when paired with different shooters and creators, comparable to Jokic and Murray. Even nonetheless, Porter’s capacity to rating with a defender in his face is all the time a reminder of the uncommon mixture he has together with his measurement and taking pictures. Porter’s defensive engagement was glorious. Before the recreation obtained out of hand, he had a handful of sturdy defensive contests that confirmed consistency in his defensive strategy.

Rookie Christian Braun scored a career-high 19 factors and had 5 rebounds. Braun’s case to play significant minutes down the stretch solely obtained stronger. Whether it was his protection on Anthony Edwards, his assured 3-point taking pictures, or his spectacular transition finishes, Braun continued his pattern of enjoying extra like a veteran. His gamesmanship is a big asset for the No. 1 seed Nuggets

Backup PG: Bruce Brown brings quite a few important qualities to the Nuggets in versatility, toughness, and the capacity to play a number of positions. But when thrust into a place to begin guard function, that highlight shines a bit brighter. Two of Brown’s passes landed in the stands, although he did register 9 factors and 6 assists in the first half. Without Murray or Bones Hyland obtainable, it’s readily obvious when Denver lacks creators.

Depending on what occurs with Hyland by Thursday’s commerce deadline, there’s the chance Brown might stay Denver’s backup level guard heading into the playoffs. That prospect will probably be made considerably simpler when he’s surrounded by different rotation gamers, however Sunday’s recreation made it exhausting to spotlight Brown’s finest attributes. I

Speaking of Bones: Hyland was in Minnesota for Sunday’s recreation however didn’t play for the third consecutive recreation. It’s a difficult scenario and a delicate one for Hyland and the Nuggets. If a commerce materializes earlier than Thursday, they will’t afford for Hyland to get damage, which explains why he hasn’t been enjoying of late.