Nikola Jokic – C+

We’re used to Jokić controlling the game. At his best, he is not just dominating but dictating, to the point where point totals are almost irrelevant when deciding the best player on the floor. That’s not what happened in Game One. The Wolves got a better start and outclassed the Nuggets in clutch time. Save for a short spell in the second quarter, Jokić was not in control. Frankly, he wasn’t good enough, even if he was the Nuggets’ best player.

Jokić finished with 32 points, but he struggled from the field. He got nine 3s up in the loss and only connected twice. After the game, Jokić said he was comfortable with the shots he took. But he didn’t look comfortable. He missed several shots inside and took a handful of 3s that felt more like concessions than adjustments. This would all be more tenable had the Nuggets gotten the ball popping, but Jokić turned it over seven times in the loss. Rudy Gobert even read and broke up the floater-zone alley-oop to Aaron Gordon. The Wolves were built to stymie this offense and succeeded in the opener.

Jamal Murray – D+

Murray got off to another slow start from the field in the second round. He was laboring out there, clearly affected by his left calf strain, which became most troublesome on defense. It’s one thing for Murray to go cold, but his inability to hang with Mike Conley was most concerning. On the other end, Anthony Edwards guarded Jamal Murray for much of the night, with Jaden McDaniels guarding Michael Porter Jr. instead. Murray sputtered out of the gate while Edwards was scorching hot. The juxtaposition was hard to ignore.

Murray would eventually find a rhythm on offense. He hit some big-time shots in the second half, but Denver had difficulty getting stops. Murray wasn’t alone in the defensive struggles. Still, his was arguably the most concerning, considering his injury. It won’t magically heal overnight. This is something he’ll have to navigate throughout this run.

Michael Porter Jr. – B+

Porter played with great energy out of the gate, helping keep Denver attached while the Wolves opened the game on a huge run. Murray and Jokić were ineffective initially, so Porter stepped up again. He worked hard on both sides of the ball, finishing with 20 points, four made 3s, three steals, and one block. His production faded in the third quarter. He missed some open looks, and Denver’s top options took the baton. It might have been enough had Denver been more effective on defense, but the defending champions don’t want to be considering hypotheticals. There’s a short runway now to get this thing off the ground.

Aaron Gordon – D

This is going to be a difficult series for Gordon. He’ll either guard up a position with Karl Anthony-Towns or down one for the shifty and explosive Edwards. He’s a great defender who is not particularly well suited for his primary assignments in this round. His inability to shoot and how it affects this matchup is also well-documented. Gobert is remarkably effective as a paint guardian with AG on the floor. The Nuggets got crunched during his minutes.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope – D+

The Nuggets are seemingly content to endure Edwards’ onslaught if they shut off the other valves of Minnesota’s offense. That’s all good in theory, but Pope still has to go out and fall on the sword. He played hard as ever and found moments to be disruptive, but he can’t guard Ant. Oh, and lest it go unmentioned, the ‘other’ Wolves got theirs anyway. It was too easy for them to score in the second half.

Reggie Jackson – A-

Guess what wasn’t a problem in Game One? The Reggie Jackson minutes! He and MPJ flipped the game on its head in the first quarter. The Wolves opened up the game on an 18-4 run. Jackson took the floor and went to work on, wait for it — defense. He stripped Nickeil Alexander-Walker before feeding Porter for an alley-oop. He also knocked down a step back three. So much went wrong for the Nuggets, but the second unit’s hands are clean.

Christian Braun – A-

Braun did a good job defending Edwards. He was Denver’s most effective option for at least making life harder on the young superstar. So far, the Nuggets miss Bruce Brown’s offense more than anything. This iteration of the bench can defend. They all finished with a positive plus-minus.

Petyon Watson – C+

Watson grabbed four rebounds in roughly five minutes. His athleticism popped, and his approach was encouraging. The youngest player in the rotation brought the right mentality. He rebounded well, but he finished scoreless. He also air-balled a corner three. The Wolves aren’t worried about that shot, which might be why Watson was essentially cut out of the rotation.

Justin Holiday – B

Denver cruised with Holiday on the floor. He grabbed five rebounds, recorded a steal, and knocked down a three. He was on the wrong end of some Naz Reid brilliance in the fourth quarter, but ultimately, he was a +19 in roughly 16 minutes played.

Denver Water made a splash with a throwback-inspired music video highlighting the city’s summer watering practices.

The water utility company released a music video parodying the Backstreet Boys’ “I Want It That Way,” which first made waves with its 1999 release.

The lyrics to Denver Water’s version, titled “I Water That Way,” offer catchy reminders on how best to use water to take care of your home greenery.

“Tell me why? Don’t water when it’s rainin. Tell me why? Don’t water when it’s windy. Tell me why? Don’t let your water wash away. I water that way,” read some of the lyrics on Denver Water’s website.

In the video, during one waterfront shot, Denver’s water team can be seen wearing Backstreet Boys-inspired all-white outfits, with one even sporting a white fedora.

“Look, sometimes you get an idea, and you have to see it through, no matter how much it sets you up to be ridiculed by everyone in your life,” wrote Denver Water’s Jimmy Luthye.

“I’ve wanted to make this video for a very long time. I grew up loving boy band jams and ‘I Water That Way’ is my tribute to the glory days of polished Max Martin pop hits and confusing music videos with far too much eye contact,” the post continued.

“I Want It That Way” was released in 1999 and saw success near the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It was also nominated for Song of the Year at the 2000 Grammy Awards.

Anthony Edwards’s 43 points led Minnesota Timberwolves’ 106-99 home win over Denver Nuggets.

Anthony Edwards scored 43 points, Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 20 and the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves took home-court advantage from Denver with a 106-99 win over the Nuggets in Game 1 of a Western Conference semifinal series.

Naz Reid scored 14 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter, Mike Conley had 14 points and 10 assists and Rudy Gobert grabbed 13 rebounds for Minnesota, which pulled away to begin the postseason 5-0.

“They are defending champs, they’re a hard team to beat. Great team. They got great players,” Edwards said of the Nuggets.

“They got the best player in the league with Nikola Jokic, they got the best closer with Jamal Murray, the best 3-point shooter with Michael Porter Jr So, it is tough to beat this team.”

Game 2 is in Denver on Monday.

Anthony Edwards puts on a show and drops a playoff career-high to lift the @Timberwolves to the Game 1 win in Denver!

Karl-Anthony Towns: 20 PTS (8-13 FGM), 4 REB
Naz Reid: 16 PTS (14 in 4Q), 4 REB
Nikola Jokic: 32 PTS, 8 REB, 9 AST, 3 STL

Game 2: Monday, 10pm/et on TNT pic.twitter.com/iirmYPip3j

— NBA (@NBA) May 5, 2024

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Jokic had 32 points, Porter added 20 and Murray finished with 17, all in the second half, for the Nuggets, who are trailing in a playoff series for the first time since losing to the Golden State Warriors in the first round in 2022.

It was a tight game early in the fourth, but the Timberwolves were more poised down the stretch.

Conley hit his third 3-pointer of the game to give Minnesota an 80-77 lead, but Murray answered from deep and was fouled by Towns. He then proceeded to complete the four-point play.

Edwards, who had 25 points in the first half, hit a driving layup through traffic and a pullup 18-footer to put the Timberwolves back in front. Reid hit a pair of 3-pointers, converted a layup and dunked an Edwards miss to give Minnesota a 94-88 lead with 4:20 left.

Jokic converted a three-point play, but the Timberwolves then started to put the game away. Gobert made a layup and banked in a 13-footer and Edwards sank two free throws. Porter committed an offensive foul, and Edwards’ 14-foot fadeaway made it 102-91 with 1:36 left.

Jokic’s 3-pointer cut Denver’s deficit to 102-96 with 1:02 to go, but the Timberwolves closed it out.

Minnesota jumped out to an 18-4 lead with 5:12 left in the first quarter, but the Nuggets turned up the defence. They forced seven turnovers and held the Timberwolves to 22 points in the final 17 minutes of the first half to lead 44-40 at intermission.

Towns and Conley had 11 points apiece in the third quarter to help put Minnesota ahead 73-71 going into the fourth.

“An 18-4 start, so we get down early, fight like hell to take the lead at halftime, then we played no defense in the third,” Denver coach Michael Malone said.

“You can’t just trade baskets with that team.”