NBA Playoffs 2023/24, 2nd Round, Game 2, Tuesday, May 7, 2024
What a way to start this series! Anthony Edwards is the nightmare incarnate for all fans of the defending champions, who will have to keep their fingers crossed for their boys from now on.
Because before they know it, Denver could have to leave for Minnesota with a 0-2 record, and that’s something to be avoided at all costs.
Meanwhile, in my Nuggets Timberwolves prediction, I insist on placing my money at the betting shop again on the bet I successfully submitted last weekend
What did I tell you in my Nuggets Timberwolves prediction for Game 1? This young squad fears neither death nor the devil and is truly capable of anything in these 2024 NBA playoffs.
After a 4-0 aggregate victory over the Suns, which reads just as clearly as it does in soccer, the defending champions have now also been overcome by the Timberwolves in the virtually impregnable Ball Arena – at least in the opening match!
Minnesota kept a cool head in a 106-99 victory in a game whose outcome will have surprised even many experts. Nikola Jokic seems unlikely to be able to defend the title for Denver single-handedly after all
Jokic was a worry for Minnesota before tip-off, but in hindsight no longer a problem for the underdogs! The Serbian only had an impact on a few plays and phases, but did not dominate the game, at least not at the level Anthony Edwards did.
That in itself is a huge success for the Wolves. After all, they can also use more “size” against Jokic than most other teams. After the opening game of this series, almost everything the visitors had planned on a tactical level has worked so far.
Minnesota started with Towns against Jokic, who got into early foul trouble against the Serbian. But the Wolves quickly found an answer to that – there was also Rudy Gobert and Reid, who knew how to make life difficult for the Nuggets’ center.
Just as Batman needs a strong Robin to back him up, Nikola Jokic needs the support of a fully functional and razor-sharp Jamal Murray to successfully execute most of the Nuggets’ offensive moves.
But this is precisely where a construction site suddenly opens up tonight! Is Jamal Murray really fully fit for action?
Since the first round against the Lakers, when he suffered a calf muscle injury, he has demonstrably not been able to train properly. And on Saturday, he didn’t score in the first half (the first time in his playoff career).
This not only raises concerns about his strength and energy for Game 2, but of course for the two trips to Minnesota!
Remember – there’s only a one-day break between Games 1 and 2, so Murray will get some rest first during the three non-match days between Games 2 and 3.
But if he struggles again tonight, the Nuggets could find themselves down 2-0 by then and heading to Minneapolis under the worst possible circumstances.
That would be unpleasant for both them and Murray. The good news, however, is that he played much better in the second half and was able to score 17 points.
Still, he has to expend a lot of energy on the defensive end to keep up with a quick guard like Conley, who scored 14 points and 10 assists
However, Anthony Edwards was the key to the Wolves’ success in Game 1 – and I expect the highly motivated shooting star Nikola Jokic to outplay him in Game 2 as well. The Nuggets need an answer to his offense as soon as possible.
He dominated the first half, scoring 25 points, and then after a dismal third quarter, he became much more of a problem for Denver after another burst of speed in the final stanza.
After totaling 43 points, Edwards now has the second-most 35-point playoff games in NBA history by a player with his 23rd birthday still to come!
Denver, meanwhile, is desperate to find a strategy for Edwards, much like the Suns did in the first round. He’s too physical and strong for the more wiry defenders (Kentavious Caldwell-Pope) and too quick for the bigger ones (Michael Porter Jr. and others).
On that point, I honestly don’t know what the Nuggets’ head coach is going to do to put a stop to the Timberwolves’ figurehead.
What I do know, however, is that I will once again use the Nuggets Timberwolves odds from the sportsbook as an opportunity to take them under fire with another “underdog bet”.
Because once again, the defending champions are favored over the visitors with odds of around 1.56 to 2.50.
Conclusion: I can well imagine that the Nuggets won’t find an answer to Anthony Edwards’ lively play any time soon.
Although the Wolves’ superstar briefly disappeared in the opening game after the break, whenever he picked up the pace, the defending champions only knew how to help themselves with fouls.
Given the odds on the markets and Jamal Murray appearing to be injured, I see no basis to expect the Nuggets to equalize the series.
Therefore, I’m sticking with my already proven Nuggets Timberwolves tip: Win for the underdog!
