- Timberwolves All-Star Anthony Edwards torched Denver’s defense for 43 points in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals on Saturday. Edwards received good news from the NBA on Sunday, as the technical he was assessed during the third quarter has been rescinded by the league, Dave McMenamin of ESPN tweets. Edwards was given the tech for staring down Reggie Jackson.
Nuggets-turned-Timberwolves team president Tim Connelly has reconfigured Minnesota to be potential giant-slayers against the reigning champs, writes Sam Amick of The Athletic. Connelly has made some major changes to the team since taking over the front office in 2022, most notably acquiring former Jazz stars Mike Conley and Rudy Gobert, plus swingman Nickeil Alexander-Walker.
As Amick notes, Connelly’s decision to emphasize an oversized frontcourt seemed like a direct response to two-time MVP Denver center Nikola Jokic. Connelly has, for now, been striving to retain incumbent big men Karl-Anthony Towns and Naz Reid, the latter of whom he signed to a three-season, $42MM contract as a free agent in 2023.
Following an uncharacteristic 106-99 Game 1 Denver loss to Minnesota, Jokic himself praised the opposition’s flexibility.
“I think that’s why they’re good,” Jokic opined. “They can play big. They can play small. …They’re long, physical. They rebound really well. They’re aggressive. I’m satisfied with the shots that I took. Some of them I missed. Some of them I made. So it’s a tough game, and they’re a really good defensive team.”
For his part, three-time Defensive Player of the Year Gobert appeared to be reveling in the challenge of trying to contain – or at least slow – Jokic.
“I mean, to me, he’s the best player in the world,” Gobert told Amick. “He’s soon to be a three-time MVP for a reason, but I think my abilities are unique in the way I can impact the basketball game. That’s why I’m really grateful for Tim Connelly and all these guys for believing in me, bringing me in this situation to help this team become a championship team and be a top defense. That’s who I try to be every day.”
There’s more out of the Northwest Division:
- Timberwolves All-Star shooting guard Anthony Edwards has been looking positively Michael Jordan-esque during Minnesota’s playoff run thus far, opines Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic. As Thompson writes, Edwards has been used a variety of patented moves, on both ends, that emulte the former Bulls great’s signature style — from clutch fadeaway jumpers to thorough perimeter defense to extended mid-air hang time.
- Nuggets point guard Jamal Murray, struggling with a calf strain, has also been dealing with some shooting inconsistencies for much of these playoffs to this point. Those issues popped up again during Denver’s Game 1 defeat against the Timberwolves, according to Ryan McFadden of The Denver Post. During the Nuggets’ five-game first round series against the Lakers, Murray made just 40% of his field goal attempts and 29.4% of his three-pointers. Against Minnesota, the Kentucky vet scored 17 points on just 6-of-14 shooting from the floor.
- Now trailing 1-0 to the Timberwolves in their second round playoff series, the Nuggets find themselves playing catch-up in a series for the first time in years, per Tony Jones of The Athletic. As Jones notes, Minnesota is one of the few teams with the kind of big, physical roster that’s truly capable of giving Denver trouble throughout the course of a series. The Nuggets will face the challenge of containing Edwards’ athletic, three-level scoring, in particular, while Minnesota’s frontline is able to at least somewhat mitigate the efficacy of Jokic, Aaron Gordon and Michael Porter Jr.
Anthony Edwards is putting up historic numbers, and the Timberwolves suddenly look like a legitimate threat to the defending champs, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN. Edwards sc0red 43 points in Minnesota’s Game 1 victory at Denver Saturday night, joining Kobe Bryant as the only other player 22 or younger with back-to-back 40-point games in the playoffs. His 119 points over the Wolves’ past three postseason games are the most in franchise history.
“To be honest, he’s a special player, I have huge respect for him, he can do everything on the floor,” Nikola Jokic said of Edwards. “You need to give him respect, how good and how talented he is.”
Edwards connected on his first five shots from the field as Minnesota made an early statement by taking an 18-4 lead. He finished 17-for-29 with seven rebounds, three assists, a steal and two blocks. He also radiated the confidence that the Wolves will need to pull off the second-round upset.
“It’s not about introducing ourselves to nobody. We know who we are,” Edwards said. “We’re coming out and as long as we got each other’s backs, it don’t really matter what anybody else thinks.”
There’s more on the Timberwolves:
- In a post-game interview with TNT (video link), Edwards credited his Team USA experience last summer with helping to prepare him for big moments. Edwards emerged as one of the stars for the U.S. in the FIBA World Cup and he’s expected to play a major role at this year’s Olympics.
- Even with Minnesota’s fast start, it took a strong performance from Naz Reid to get to the finish line, notes Chris Hine of The Star Tribune. With Karl-Anthony Towns in foul trouble, the Sixth Man of the Year had 14 points in the fourth quarter as the Wolves took the lead for good. Reid is eager for the opportunity after missing last season’s playoffs with a wrist injury and barely playing in the 2022 postseason due to personal issues. “I just never gave up. I just fight, fight,” he said. “… Being undrafted kind of got me that edge that I have now. I have my teammates. They kept me up the whole time.”
- Minnesota also found ways to frustrate Jokic in Game 1, Hine adds in a separate story. Even though the two-time MVP had 32 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, the Wolves forced him to turn the ball over seven times and were able to disrupt his usual offense late in the game. “Jokic is a very, very smart player, but I think I’m a very smart defender, too,” Rudy Gobert said. “Sometimes you’re going to win some of these, sometimes I’m going to win some of them, and just always try to stay a step ahead in those situations.”
Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch told reporters that he’ll be in the bench area for the start of the team’s second-round series today in Denver (video link from Dave McMenamin of ESPN).
Finch will be seated in the second row, but there will be no chair in front of him, tweets team broadcaster Alan Horton. He’ll be located next to the television broadcast table, which should provide some level of protection.
Finch is only three days removed from surgery to repair a torn patellar tendon in his right knee. He was injured in a collision with Mike Conley late in Sunday’s closeout victory over Phoenix (video link).
Finch was on crutches as he walked into today’s pregame session with the media, but he handed them to a member of the public relations staff and was able to climb onto the podium without help, according to Chris Hine of The Star Tribune. He provided a quick update on his condition and said he has spent the last few days figuring out how to safely be with the team for the series opener.
“I feel pretty good, all things considered. The plan was to try and be here all along,” Finch said. “Just see how I felt day by day. And then kind of figure out logistically how it might work being on the bench and with the other coaches.”
Finch confirmed that assistant coach Micah Nori will stand along the sidelines and handle the flow of the game. Finch will provide input and communicate with players during timeouts.
Finch added that he was determined all week that the injury wouldn’t keep him away as his team prepared to battle the defending champs.
“I was wide open on everything,” he said. “They told me that they really wanted me to just rest. I’ve been trying to do that. But I also wanted to be here, if I could be here in any capacity. That was the most important thing for me. Just literally taking it day by day and see how I felt.”
There is “increased optimism” that Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch will be seated near the team’s bench when Game 1 of the Timberwolves/Nuggets series tips off on Saturday, according to The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski and Shams Charania (Twitter link). Finch suffered a torn patellar tendon during Minnesota’s first-round series against Phoenix and underwent surgery on the knee on Wednesday.
With Finch’s mobility impacted due to the injury, assistant coach Micah Nori will take on a larger role, as expected (Twitter link via Krawczynski). But it sounds like the Wolves will at least be able to have their head coach nearby rather than watching the game from the locker room or a suite. As Chris Hine of The Star Tribune tweets, team staffers appeared to be working with Finch on Friday to figure out a spot for him to sit, with the goal to get him as close to the floor as possible.
We have more from the Northwest Division:
- Nick Williams of The Star Tribune takes a closer look at the next step in the Timberwolves‘ ownership dispute after a mediation session this week was unsuccessful. As Williams details, the two sides – current majority owner Glen Taylor and minority owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez – will now head to arbitration, which must take place in Minneapolis within the next six months. A three-person panel will hear the case, according to Williams, with each side choosing one arbitrator and then agreeing on a retired judge from Minnesota to serve as the third arbitrator.
- There’s a chance that veteran guard Jordan Clarkson appeared in his last game for the Jazz this season, Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune writes. The oldest and longest-tenured player on the roster, Clarkson is under contract for two more seasons, but has a team-friendly deal that could make him an appealing offseason trade target. “Tomorrow’s tomorrow, I don’t really try to look too far forward,” Clarkson said. “But I love this organization, I love this state, city. I love playing for this team, [head coach Will Hardy] and everybody. If it’s the last, that just is what it is.” If the Jazz were to move him, it would be to make way for younger players on the roster. He’s due to make about $14MM in each of the next two seasons.
- The Thunder followed up a week-long break at the end of the regular season with a four-game sweep of New Orleans in the first round, so it’s no surprise that head coach Mark Daigneault has no problem with another lengthy layoff before the second round begins. “If you’ve got bumps and bruises it gives you time to heal and get everybody’s tank full from a recovery standpoint,” Daigneault said, according to Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman. “Disadvantages would just be a lot of time in between games, an amount of time we’re not used to. … But I thought we managed it pretty well in the last stretch.”
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
Jamal Murray was “in and out” of the Nuggets‘ two practices in the days leading up to Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals vs. the Timberwolves on Saturday, head coach Michael Malone said today. As Bennett Durando of The Denver Post writes, Murray was able to play through a left calf strain on Monday when the Nuggets closed out the Lakers, but the injury hasn’t fully healed.
“Just trying to be smart with that calf,” Malone said on Friday. “Knowing that tip-off at 5:00 tomorrow night is priority No. 1.”
When the Nuggets released their initial injury report for Game 1 on Friday, Murray was listed as questionable. However, as Durando tweets, neither the Nuggets’ messaging nor the guard’s comments have suggested that he’s in real danger of missing Saturday’s game unless he experiences a setback.
The news is even better on Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who suffered a sprained left ankle on Monday. According to Durando, Caldwell-Pope was a full participant in both Thursday’s and Friday’s practices. He’s not listed on Denver’s injury report.
Here are a few more notes on the upcoming matchup between the Nuggets and Wolves:
- There’s plenty of shared history between the two Northwest clubs, as Jon Krawczynski and Tony Jones of The Athletic detail. While it’s no secret that Timberwolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly spent years running Denver’s front office, it’s also worth noting that current Nuggets general manager Calvin Booth used to work for Minnesota. The familiarity between the Nuggets and Wolves, who are meeting in the playoffs for a second straight year, could help create the NBA’s next great rivalry, The Athletic’s duo suggests.
- Referring to the Timberwolves as a “really dangerous” team, Nuggets star Nikola Jokic heaped praise on Minnesota guard Anthony Edwards (“He’s a really talented player who can do everything, who has everything in his arsenal”) and lauded former Denver executive Connelly for the job he has done building the Wolves, according to Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports (Twitter link) and Durando of The Denver Post. “I think they’re built really well,” Jokic said. “Hopefully we are not going to get swept. I think Tim Connelly, when he made that (Rudy Gobert) trade, everybody was laughing at him and what he was doing. But he made a great team. And I think he deserves great credit for doing that.”
- Aaron Gordon will be a crucial X-factor for the Nuggets in the series, according to Sean Keeler of The Denver Post, who points to the tremendous job the forward did defending Karl-Anthony Towns in the playoffs last spring. When Gordon guarded Towns during that first-round series, the Wolves’ star shot just 37% from the field and had three times as many turnovers (9) as assists (3), Keeler notes.
- Seerat Sohi of The Ringer provides an in-depth preview of the series, suggesting that how the Wolves fare against the defending champions will serve as a “true litmus test of their progress.”
Timberwolves team president Tim Connelly joined the organization two years ago with a deliberate, aggressive plan in mind for returning Minnesota to contender status, writes Chip Scoggins of The Star Tribune.
With core pieces Anthony Edwards, Karl-Anthony Towns and Jaden McDaniels already all in place, Connelly opted to go for size and veteran help, ultimately rounding out his starting five with former Jazz stars Rudy Gobert and Mike Conley.
Now, Minnesota’s defense in all facets is helping guiding the club deep into the playoffs. The Timberwolves, the West’s No. 3 seed with a 56-26 regular season record, have won a playoff series for the first time in 20 years. Scoggins concedes that he did not appreciate just how good Conley still was when Minnesota acquired him in a February 2023 trade, while also noting that much of the league was critical of Connelly’s decision to obtain Gobert for major future draft equity.
There’s more out of Minnesota:
- Connelly recently addressed questions about how the team will handle what could be a very pricey roster in the offseason, per Chris Hine of The Star Tribune (via Twitter). “I think we’re a contender now,” Connelly said. “We have to believe it. We’re entering the second round with an unblemished playoff record. This room certainly thinks we’re a contender. Relative to what the offseason looks like, it would be unfair to answer those questions prior to our conclusion and what we hope not to conclude for a long time.”
- Connelly also had high praise for assistant coach Micah Nori, who finished out the closing minutes of team’s Game 4 win over the Suns after head coach Chris Finch left the bench due to a patellar tendon injury. Micah is gonna make a great head coach when some smart team hires him,” Connelly said, per Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (Twitter link). “The whole staff is really connected and I think Finch empowers those guys, so it’s a collective.”
- Just one day removed from a surgery on his ruptured right knee patellar tendon, Finch was back in action on Thursday with the Timberwolves, overseeing a team practice, writes Andrew Lopez of ESPN. Minnesota intends to have Finch available with the the team once its second round series against the Nuggets tips off in Denver on Saturday. “Finch is obviously a leader and a super tough guy,” Connelly reflected. “I have a ton of respect for him bouncing back so quickly… He’s really excited about the series and it’s great to have him back.”
- Mediation efforts between Timberwolves minority owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez and majority owner Glen Taylor did not ultimately succeed in resolving the two sides’ ownership dispute, Darren Wolfson of KSTP Sports tweets. They’ll move on to arbitration, which Wolfson believes could happen several weeks from now.
Only one second-round matchup has been set so far in these NBA playoffs, but it looks like it has the potential to be one of the very best postseason series of 2024. The defending-champion Nuggets will face the Timberwolves in the Western Conference semifinals beginning on Saturday.
Denver had a target on its back entering this season after winning a title in 2023, but the team responded admirably, tying for the West’s best record (57-25) and then quickly dispatching LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and the Lakers in round one.
The Nuggets are led by the NBA’s probable 2024 MVP (Nikola Jokic), along with one of the league’s best clutch playoff performers (Jamal Murray). They also have a series of role players, led by Aaron Gordon, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Michael Porter Jr., who complement their stars perfectly. They’re widely considered the favorites to come out of the West, with many NBA fans and experts viewing them as a good bet to repeat as champions.
But the Timberwolves showed in their first-round sweep of Phoenix that they’re a legitimate threat to make a deep playoff run of their own this spring.
Minnesota, which had the NBA’s No. 1 defensive rating during the regular season, wasn’t quite as dominant on that end of the floor against Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Bradley Beal, and the Suns, but they made up for it by raising their offensive game to new heights — the Wolves’ 123.2 offensive rating in round one easily ranks first among the 16 playoff teams.
Three-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert and four-time All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns own the most award hardware of any Minnesota players, but it’s rising star Anthony Edwards who is raising the team’s ceiling and gives the Wolves a chance to be more competitive than they were in the first round against Denver a year ago.
Just 22 years old, Edwards averaged 31.0 points per game on .512/.438/.839 shooting against Phoenix and has fully embraced the postseason stage, repeatedly directing trash talk toward Durant and the Suns. In Edwards, the Wolves have a player whom they can increasingly rely on to get them a basket in clutch moments, which is crucial in the playoffs.
And like Denver, the Wolves have no shortage of talented role players, with Jaden McDaniels and Nickeil Alexander-Walker leading the defense on the perimeter, Sixth Man of the Year Naz Reid providing scoring off the bench, and veteran point guard Mike Conley serving as a stabilizing force on both ends of the floor.
It’s a fascinating intra-divisional matchup that should make for a terrific series. Sports betting site BetOnline.ag considers the Nuggets (-195) the solid favorites, but the Wolves’ resounding first-round victory over Phoenix signaled that this roster is built for real postseason success.
We want to know what you think. Are you picking Denver to advance or do you think Minnesota can pull off the upset? Do you expect the winner of this series to represent the West in the NBA Finals, or do you anticipate seeing the Thunder, Mavericks, or Clippers come out of the conference?
Head to the comment section below to weigh in with your thoughts and predictions!
Speaking on Wednesday to reporters, Timberwolves assistant coach Micah Nori said that Chris Finch‘s knee surgery went well, per Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (Twitter links). According to Nori, the team is still considering options for Finch for Game 1 on Saturday, including the possibility of moving some seats around on the bench to make room for the head coach.
If having Finch on the bench isn’t practical, he may end up watching from a suite and joining the team before the game and at halftime, Nori said. According to the Wolves’ assistant, there were some conversations about the idea of Finch texting the staff with observations during the game, but Finch apparently doesn’t love the idea of meddling in that way.
With Nori set to serve as the Timberwolves’ acting head coach if Finch is unavailable for Game 1, Krawczynski takes a more in-depth look at the veteran assistant whom Anthony Edwards calls a “genius.” According to Krawczynski, Nori has an “encyclopedic grasp of opponent tendencies” and delivers feedback to players in a uniquely humorous way.
“He’s brutally honest but still funny,” said Nuggets star Nikola Jokic, who worked with Nori when the coach was on Michael Malone‘s staff in Denver from 2015-18. “He says brutally honest stuff in really funny ways. That’s what makes him a really interesting, really funny guy.”
Here’s more on the Wolves:
- As reported last week, the mediation session in the Timberwolves’ ownership dispute between Glen Taylor and the Alex Rodriguez/Marc Lore group is beginning on Wednesday. Nick Williams of The Star Tribune examines what that means, noting that if the issue isn’t resolved through mediation, the next step would be an arbitration process that must be completed within six months.
- Eben Novy-Williams and Michael McCann of Sportico also check in on the Wolves’ ownership situation, noting that the retired judge who will oversee the mediation process (Rick Solum) has a lengthy history with sports lawsuits — he also mediated a 2020 suit filed against Taylor by a group of plaintiffs who accused the Wolves’ owner of “sabotaging their investment into a medical device company.” Rodriguez and Lore chose Solum from a handful of possible mediators provided by Taylor, per Sportico.
- The Timberwolves’ effective shooting percentage during their first-round series vs. Phoenix was lower than their regular season mark, but their offensive rating was up by 8.6 points per 100 possessions, according to Chris Hine of The Star Tribune, who points to the team’s offensive rebounding as a key reason for its success on that end of the floor. Minnesota’s 39.2% offensive rebounding percentage has easily been the best mark of any team in the first round, but it will be tested against a Nuggets squad that ranks third in playoff defensive rebounding percentage (78.8%).
- In case you missed it, the NBA announced today that Mike Conley won this season’s Teammate of the Year award. We have the full story here.
Timberwolves point guard Mike Conley has been named the NBA’s Teammate of the Year for the 2023/24 season, the league announced today (via Twitter).
The Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year award “recognizes the player deemed the best teammate based on selfless play, on- and off-court leadership as a mentor and a role model to other players, and commitment and dedication to team,” per the NBA.
The award isn’t voted on by media members. A panel of league executives select the 12 finalists (six from each conference) for the award, while current players vote on the winner. Players receive 10 points for a first place vote, seven for second, five for third, three for fourth, and one point for fifth place.
Here are this season’s full voting results, according to the NBA, with the player’s point total noted in parentheses:
- Mike Conley, Timberwolves (1,172)
- Mikal Bridges, Nets (1,041)
- Jalen Brunson, Knicks (783)
- T.J. McConnell, Pacers (759)
- Georges Niang, Cavaliers (748)
- Al Horford, Celtics (634)
- Larry Nance Jr., Pelicans (627)
- Jalen Williams, Thunder (565)
- Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Nuggets (560)
- Dwight Powell, Mavericks (549)
- Harrison Barnes, Kings (435)
- Markelle Fultz, Magic (421)
It’s the second Teammate of the Year award for Conley, won also won it in 2018/19 when he was a member of the Grizzlies.
The award, which was introduced in ’12/13, had gone to Jrue Holiday in each of the past two seasons (and three of the past four), with Damian Lillard taking it home in 2021.