That's what you call a championship-level response.
The Denver Nuggets entered Friday night with a lot on the line. They had dropped the first two games of this potential seven-game series against the Minnesota Timberwolves... at home.
Game 2 was an especially deflating defeat. A 106-80 beatdown in front of the Ball Arena crowd. It seemed inconceivable that the team with the NBA's second-best home record in the regular season, who lost just one total home game in its 2023 championship run, could lose like this in front of their crowd. Their backs were up against the wall.
"I was disappointed with our reaction to the adversity. I haven’t seen that in my nine years here," said head coach Michael Malone after the Game 2 loss. "As things got tough, we fell apart and separated."
Here's the thing about the Nuggets, though. This is a resilient group. In fact, they thrive in this setting. Pressing their backs closer and closer to the wall only increases the likelihood of a bounce-back.
Teams that have dropped their first two games at home are 4-22 in a best-of-seven series. The odds are certainly stacked against the Nuggets. Still, that's child's play compared to what they've rebounded from before.
After all, they're one of only 13 teams to ever recover from a 3-1 series deficit. And they did it twice... In the same playoff run... In back-to-back rounds. This isn't just a team that can keep its head above water amidst adversity; it's when the Nuggets are at their best. They peak in the pressure cooker.
No one is more aware of this than their head coach, who's been there since the very beginning. Malone knew exactly how to reignite his group. After the Game 2 loss, he showed the team a video of some, um, not-so-charitable thoughts from various talking heads about the Nuggets' chances in the series.
"I had an edit made, and I wasn't sure if I was gonna show it to the guys. I showed it to DeAndre Jordan, and he said, 'Oh hell yeah, we gotta show it to the guys.' It was a two-minute edit of every talking head in this country saying that the series is over. The Nuggets are done. It's a wrap, they're toast. Minnesota is a better team," Malone said. "I knew that this would maybe strike a chord deep inside you to say, 'Hey, man, everybody and their brother is saying you're out, you're done. You guys can't play with this team, they're better than you.' If that doesn't resonate within you as a competitor, I don't know what will. And so yes, our guys answered the bell and they showed me that they still believe."
Malone's gamble worked. The Nuggets played like their playoff lives were on the line—they played for their pride—and absolutely decimated Minnesota on their home floor, 117-90. What was supposed to be an exciting night for Timberwolves fans turned into a deafening disappointment. The Nuggets took the air out of the Target Center. Now, we have ourselves a series. The pressure now falls on Minnesota to respond in Game 4. Otherwise, the Nuggets will reclaim homecourt advantage.
Of course, there's more to Denver's astounding Game 3 victory than just Malone's well-timed video edit. The team adjusted brilliantly and countered Minnesota's No. 1-ranked defense. Let's take a look at how the Nuggets pulled it off.
Jamal Murray's first half
Minnesota held the defending champions under 100 points in both of the first two games of the series, and a big component of that strategy was throwing the kitchen sink at Jamal Murray. Constant double-teams and full-court pressure made life difficult, culminating in a 3-of-18 shooting night from Murray in Game 2.
The Nuggets needed to alleviate some of the pressure on Murray. So, Malone had other players, like Nikola Jokić and Aaron Gordon, take the ball up so that Minnesota couldn't press Murray full-court and exhaust him.
Gordon plays point guard here, giving Murray a rest until the ball crosses midcourt. Denver then runs "Chicago" action for Murray, which involves an off-ball player (Jamal) streaking off a pindown screen (from Jokić) into a handoff (from Gordon). Minnesota does a nice job containing the action, so Denver flows into a secondary pick-and-roll between Murray and Jokić, and Jokić absolutely sheds Murray of his man, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, with a bone-crushing screen (Jokić's screening was extremely important in Game 3, but we'll get to that momentarily). Murray nails the jumper over Naz Reid.
Alleviating some of the pressure from Murray's shoulders seemed to breathe new life into his game. He attacked with verve, a real pep in his step, and blew past the ball pressure that had troubled him so much in the first two games of the series.
Denver's two stars play distinct roles. Jokić is the metronome of consistency. He's the anchor that keeps everything in place. The motor that never stops chugging.
Murray is the heartbeat. He's the lightning rod that electrifies the rest of the group. There's just something so galvanizing about a guy who can make tough shots. It regenerates the team's spirits. I mean, c'mon, when a guy makes a shot like this, a pure swish from behind the backboard, does that not get the adrenaline pumping a little bit? Even just watching it? And then the way he turns and looks toward the bench? Shoot, I'm ready to go out there and give Malone 10 minutes of all-out play.
Murray's charisma lit a fire under the defending champions. With every tough bucket, the Nuggets' bench got rowdier and rowdier. Murray's bloodstream coursed with confidence. His belief became widespread.
Jamal, to his credit, also picked his spots wisely.
When the Timberwolves were in a 'drop coverage,' which is a style of pick-and-roll defense where the big man plays below the three-point line to contain shots at the rim, Murray was diligent about making the Wolves pay with pull-up jumpers. In the first clip, Murray drains the pull-up shot over Karl-Anthony Towns in the drop-coverage; in the second clip, it's a dropped Gobert getting the pull-up treatment from Murray.
However, the biggest adjustment for Murray had nothing to do with strategy. Rather, it was the abnormally long four-day layoff between Games 2 and 3. Murray entered the second-round series with a left calf strain. In Games 1 and 2, he looked visibly impaired by the injury. His vertical pop and burst on drives weren't the same.
Friday felt like a different Jamal. He was getting to his spots at will and beating defenders to the punch. The separation was there, as was the elevation on shots. That's largely why he hit so many tough jumpers. This play at the beginning of the fourth quarter was by far Murray's most inspiring of the night. He ripped Timberwolves star, Anthony Edwards, from the blindside and then powered home a full-speed slam. Notice which leg he explodes off of to dunk—his left. That's encouraging if you're Denver. Those four days off might be a series-changer.
Murray scored 18 of his 24 points in the first half, and Denver carried a double-digit lead into the break for the first time all postseason.
Then, the sleeping giant awoke...
A vintage Nikola Jokić third quarter
Nikola Jokić had a quiet first half by his standards. He entered the break with just 7 total points on 8 shots. For the most part, he took a backseat and let his co-star cook.
Still, there were subtle signs of a special night from the Joker. For example, he attacked single coverage willingly when Timberwolves center, Rudy Gobert, was off the floor.
His screening was also exceptional. Here, firm contact puts Anthony Edwards way out of position while pursuing Murray from behind. Now, Denver has a four-on-five advantage. Murray slings the ball to Jokić, forcing Gobert to step up, and Nikola finds Gobert's man, Gordon, under the rim for the dunk.
This play is practically identical. Jokić's screen is so forceful that it knocks Alexander-Walker over, and Denver once again attacks four-on-five. Murray laces a pocket pass to Nikola, Minnesota's defense reacts, and Jokić hits Christian Braun in the dunker spot with a pass.
The third quarter was when Jokić really took over. One of the biggest talking points heading into the series was how Nikola would attack Minnesota's defense.
The Timberwolves guard Jokić with a very interesting strategy. Instead of having their starting center, Gobert, match up with Jokić like normal, Minnesota instead has starting power forward, Towns, guard Jokić, leaving Gobert on Gordon. From there, Gobert can cheat off Gordon and provide Towns with secondary assistance, effectively allowing Minnesota to play 'double-big.' That's something I wrote about in our Series Preview.
Jokić flashed some counters to Minnesota's double-big alignment after the break. One of them was attacking early. Here, Jokić takes the ball the length of the court to not only beat Towns off the dribble but also beat Gobert to his spot before he can arrive as the secondary shot-blocker.
Spinning away from the help is another counter I wrote about in the series preview. Instead of finishing on the left side of the basket where Rudy is waiting, Jokić spins to his right for a gorgeous fall-away hook shot. Doing so gives Nikola the angle to launch this moonball over Gobert's outstretched 7'5 wingspan.
Facing Jokić up in the middle of the floor was another profitable strategy for Denver. Generally speaking, it's incredibly difficult to help when an offensive player is placed in the middle of the free-throw line (otherwise known as the "nail"), especially against a passer as good as Nikola. Here, Denver's surrounding players flatten down to the baseline and corners, giving Jokić room to attack Reid one-on-one.
Gobert is at his best when he can "roam" as a secondary shot-blocker. It's a major component in winning four Defensive Player of the Year trophies. One way to mitigate his impact as a roaming rim protector is to involve him directly in plays. Here, Gordon sets a ball screen for Jokić in a very unique pick-and-roll set-up, and Gobert is forced to leave his lair next to the basket. He can't just camp out and swat shots.
Reid switches onto Gordon after the screen, and Gobert is late to step up to Jokić, who buries the midrange jumper.
The three-time MVP finished the third quarter with 13 points and a 29-point lead for his squad. That put the game out of reach. It was the type of offensive explosion we've grown so accustomed to, and it harkened back to Nikola's dominant 2023 playoff run. He was forceful. He was decisive. He shredded the defense in multiple ways.
Jokić finished the game with 24 points, 14 rebounds, 9 assists, 3 steals, and 3 blocks. He's the first player since 1976 to put up those numbers. A very fitting box score for a supreme all-around performance.
Which, speaking of that, let's talk about the defense.
Lockdown defense on the road
After Game 1, I wrote that "digging in defensively" might be Denver's key to this series. Now, at that point, Murray appeared visibly affected by his left calf; he's obviously rebounded from that quite nicely.
There's still some truth to that statement. Minnesota finished the regular season with the NBA's number-one defense by a considerable margin. Their offense lags much further behind—16th offensive efficiency.
Despite the discouraging losses, Denver held Minnesota's offense to an average of just 106 points in Games 1 and 2... and there was room for improvement. The Nuggets, after all, finished ninth in defensive efficiency after 82 regular season games. They're no slouches on that end, either.
Jokić set the tone for the defense in Game 3. In fact, his positioning on defense, particularly against pick-and-rolls, was one of Denver's biggest adjustments. Instead of hanging back in the painted area in a drop coverage (scroll up to the Murray section if you're wondering what drop coverage is), Jokić played much higher up the floor "at the level" of ball screens.
What does "at the level" mean, you might ask? Great question!
Well, on this Mike Conley and Gobert pick-and-roll, Jokić has his toes practically touching the three-point line when Conley comes off the screen. That takes away the pull-up three-point opportunity from Conley, a very good off-the-dribble shooter, leaving him with no other option but to drive downhill. Minnesota's starting point guard is just 6'0 tall, and he's 36, meaning that he doesn't put a ton of pressure on the rim. Jokić turns his hips brilliantly and shadows Conley into a miss.
Later in the game, Jokić playing "at the level" put him in the perfect position to get up a great contest against this pull-up shot from the NBA's best off-the-dribble three-point marksman, Conley.
Conley isn't the only member of Minnesota's backcourt where playing "at the level" makes sense. That's something I wrote about in our Game 1 Film Study. Playing Jokić higher up the floor against pick-and-rolls can also negate the threat of Anthony Edwards' explosive first step.
Here's a great example of Jokić containing both players in the same possession.
Minnesota goes to a pick-and-roll between Gobert and Edwards, and Jokić meets Edwards at right wing to cut off his drive. Notice how he uses his 284-pound frame to bump Edwards off his spot entirely.
Edwards is forced to reset, and the ball finds Conley, who engages with Gobert for a screen-and-roll play. Jokić sprints across the floor and defends the action "at the level," taking away the pull-up opportunity. Conley has nowhere to go but to lace a bounce pass to Gobert, who gets fouled, and Minnesota ends up with zero points when Rudy misses both free throws.
Jokić was in the right spots on defense the entire night. He blew up a lob to Gobert in the first quarter. He pressed Conley toward the baseline in the third frame, resulting in a turnover. When Edwards got by Holiday in the fourth, Jokić stepped up and cut off his drive, forcing a reset up top. Nikola's suction-pad hands even ripped away a steal from the Timberwolves superstar.
Nikola was active. He was attentive. He was disruptive. Disciplined. He was always in the right spots. He knew his coverages.
Similar to how Murray energized Denver's offense, Jokić's defensive activity reverberated with his teammates.
Players like Justin Holiday, for example, tangled with much larger players on post-ups and drives and won the battle.
(Holiday was been fantastic, by the way, in this series. On top of playing great defense, the veteran also nailed two corner three-pointers in Game 3. He's up to 46 percent from the corners in the postseason... after nailing 47 percent of his corner threes in the regular season. What a signing!)
Denver made some of the other adjustments I wrote about in the Game 1 Film Study. Leaving Jaden McDaniels open, a 19 percent playoff three-point shooter, was one of them. We saw that a lot in Game 3.
Another adjustment I wrote about in that Film Study was Christian Braun guarding Edwards. He looked more than capable in Game 3.
Denver needed a response on the road. They got it.
Murray's scoring powered the Nuggets to their first strong start of the playoffs. Jokić played a brilliant all-around game and filled the gaps. Most of all, the defense stepped up and held Minnesota to just 90 total points in front of their fans.
Now, the pressure is on the Timberwolves to respond and defend homecourt in Game 4. Because if there's one thing that's clear, it's that the defending champions aren't going out easily.