The Denver Nuggets trounced the Minnesota Timberwolves 120-111 on Friday night to grab a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven first-round series. The two teams will meet again on Sunday in Minneapolis, where Denver will try to seal the deal. The game will begin at 9:30 p.m. EDT at the Target Center in Minneapolis.
Latest news on Nikola Jokic, Rudy Gorbert and Anthony Edwards
Few expected the Timberwolves, who had to win a play-in game to get here, to win this series against the top-seeded Nuggets as the 8th seed.
Many assumed they’d have a punchers chance of entertaining with three all-star players in Rudy Gobert, Anthony Edwards, and Karl-Anthony Towns.
They squandered any chance of making this interesting with a 120-111 loss at home on Friday. With a final score of 3-0, this game is effectively over.
Anthony Edwards led the way with 36 points, while Towns had 27. Gobert had 18 points and 10 rebounds in the game.
Jaylen Nowell (knee) and Josh Minott (ankle) are both classified as questionable for Game 4 against the Nuggets on Sunday.
In the last three games, Nowell has played through the injury, averaging 4.7 points and 1.0 assists in 16.7 minutes. He should be able to play through the injury again on Sunday if there are no complications.
Minott did not play in Game 3 despite being promoted to available. Even if his ankle injury prevents him from playing in Game 4, he is unlikely to see much action.
Meanwhile, the Denver Nuggets are the Western Conference’s top seed, but no one believes they can make the finals.
No one, but most people think of the Suns, Lakers, or Warriors, with Denver coming in last.
However, they have just completely destroyed a respectable Timberwolves team in this series to grab a 3-0 lead. They sealed it up by defeating Minnesota 120-111 on the road in Game 3 on Friday.
Nikola Jokic finished with a triple-double of 20 points, 11 rebounds, and 12 assists, while Jamal Murray added 18 points and 9 assists.
Jokic recorded his third triple-double of the season, pushing the Nuggets to within one game of advancing to the second round of the playoffs. Despite facing Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert, Jokic has established his series dominance.
The two teams will face again today, with the Nuggets hoping to seal the deal before facing the Clippers or Suns in the next round.
Timberwolves injuries:
- Jaylen Nowell (Knee) – Questionable
- Josh Minott (Ankle) – Questionable
- Jaden McDaniels (Hand) – Out
- Naz Reid (Wrist) – Out
Injury Report Nuggets:
- Collin Gillespie (Lower Leg) – Out for the season
