This is becoming a concerning trend
Denver Nuggets v Minnesota Timberwolves | Matt Krohn/GettyImages
The Nuggets saw their hot streak putter to a halt on Saturday afternoon as they got trounced, 133-104 by the Timberwolves on Saturday afternoon. All of the good vibes around the team after their recent run of good play seemed to dissipate quickly as they got broken down from the start of the game and never found their footing.
All in all, it’s really not a big deal. Denver has been on a great run lately, winning 12 out of their last 15 coming into Saturday’s tilt. They’d risen to fourth place in the Western Conference and had gotten to within sniffing distance of the second-place Rockets and third-place Grizzlies.
Everything was moving in the right direction for the team and it seemed like they were hitting their stride and finding a groove. So there’s no reason for concern after a blowout loss on the road to the reigning West champs; if anything, they were probably due for a stinker.
But this felt like something more than that. This was different. The Wolves famously poached GM Tim Connolly away from the Nuggets, then built a team specially designed to beat them. That plan came to fruition last season as the Wolves beat the Nuggets in a thrilling 7-game series in last year’s Western Conference semifinals.
T-Wolves have the Nuggets number
In the offseason, the Wolves made a bold and controversial trade, dealing away Karl-Anthony Towns. They were transitioning away from their model of two-star big men with KAT and Rudy Gobert; a model that proved extremely effective, especially against the Nuggets.
The Wolves faced the Nuggets for the first time on Saturday without KAT and one might have thought things would be different. Towns was often tasked with guarding Jokic while Gobert protected the rim. The Wolves have struggled to find a rhythm this season with their new squad, finding themselves battling in the play-in mix.
Things should have been different this time around, but they weren’t. Despite the changes in personnel and the very differing play of the two teams recently, this game looked similar to the playoff series last season.
The T-Wolves jumped all over the Nuggets right out of the gate and dominated for 48 minutes. They continued to do an excellent job of keeping Jokic from dominating the game, especially on the glass.
Joker has been putting up laughably gaudy numbers lately (and really, all season) but the Wolves were able to hold him to just 20 points, 11 assists, and a measly 3 rebounds. He was thoroughly stifled, along with the rest of the Nuggets. It was a stark reminder of the way last season ended and the way everything can go wrong for Denver.
It’s not time to panic or anything. The Wolves clearly match up extremely well with the Nuggets even without KAT. They’ve got a strong gameplan and strategy too. But this is just one team. The way Minnesota is playing, the chances of these teams meeting in the playoffs for a third straight year feel slim.
Even if that matchup did come to fruition, there’s no reason to think the Nuggets wouldn’t be able to solve them this time around. As ugly as Saturday was, it was just one game during a long run of good play. The Nuggets will be fine, and they shouldn’t be concerned with the 7th-place Minnesota Timberwolves.