(Photo by Kristy Sparow/Getty Images for Tissot)
The Minnesota Timberwolves surprised many people on Saturday night when they beat the Denver Nuggets in Game 1 of the second round of the playoffs.
Meanwhile, the Nuggets surprised people too, but because of how poorly they defended Minnesota.
Speaking on SiriusXM NBA Radio, Brian Scalabrine said that the Nuggets’ defense was “atrocious” during Saturday’s game.
“There’s a lot of good things they do, I just didn’t see any of that in the second half of the Minnesota game,” Scalabrine said.
Can the Nuggets even the series vs the Timberwolves?@Scalabrine reacts to their performance in Game 1.
Hear Game 2 tonight on NBA Radio
https://t.co/iiUuqRLa9d #NBAPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/BKf49g1kQS
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) May 6, 2024
The Nuggets simply cannot go easy on the Timberwolves’ offense.
The team came out of the gate looking to win, scoring a lot and giving themselves a huge advantage in the first quarter.
However, the Nuggets have a tendency to start slow and catch up and that is exactly what they did, evening the score and even pulling ahead multiple times.
But their defense consistently let the Timberwolves grab and hold the lead and Minnesota eventually won by seven points.
The fact that Anthony Edwards scored 43 points is a clear example of just how lacking Denver’s defense was.
The Nuggets will have to lock down their opponents a lot more in Monday night’s Game 2.
Was Game 1 a wake-up call for head coach Michael Malone and will he make the necessary changes to prevent any repeating problems on Monday?
Game 2 was already highly anticipated by fans but now even more people will be paying attention because they are eager to see if the Nuggets can adjust and step up their game after a disappointing start.
If the Nuggets can change their “atrocious” defense, then Game 2 may give them a much-needed win.
If not, they will be down 2-0 and their place in the Western Conference Finals will be in jeopardy.
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