DENVER — Ten minutes into Saturday’s playoff opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Denver Nuggets were in a bad spot.
Minnesota had controlled the first quarter on the road, forcing tough shots and miscues while limiting three-time MVP Nikola Jokić to three points and three turnovers. And Aaron Gordon — the 6-foot-8 spark plug who was a difference-maker in Denver’s 2023 championship run — was suddenly unavailable.
Advertisement
Gordon picked up his third foul while swinging his elbows and displacing Mike Conley on a post-up. Head coach David Adelman protested in frustration and picked up a technical foul.
The Nuggets went into the second quarter in a 33-23 hole and Gordon relegated to the bench. It was a make-or-break moment early in the game and the series that could have spiraled out of control.
Nuggets lean on shorthanded experience
It was also a familiar spot for these Nuggets, whose 2025-26 season has been plagued by a litany of injuries to key players. Gordon (46 missed games), Christian Braun (38), Cameron Johnson (28) and Jokić (17) all faced extended absences throughout the season.
Advertisement
This is a team that battled to the No. 3 seed in a loaded West despite those absences and learned how to play with — or without — each other depending on who was in the lineup on any given night.
So Gordon going to bench in early foul trouble? That was no big deal. The Nuggets have plenty of this kind of experience. And there was no downward spiral for Denver. The Nuggets instead chipped away at their early deficit and eventually took control in a 116-105 win.
With Gordon sitting for the entire second quarter and Jokić continuing to struggle on offense (six points, four turnovers in the first half), Denver’s offense exploded in the stanza to the tune of a 39-29 advantage to send the game into halftime tied at 62.
(AAron Ontiveroz via Getty Images)
Jamal Murray, the steady Nuggets hand
Jamal Murray, who played 75 games and was the tie that bound Denver’s fluctuating lineups throughout the season, righted the ship. Murray paced the Nuggets with 17 first-half points, largely by getting to the line and converting all 11 of his first-half free throws.
Advertisement
It was was a critical contribution from the first-time All-Star, who just wrapped the best regular season of his career as the only consistent force in Denver’s starting lineup. And it allowed the Nuggets to steady themselves before taking control in the third quarter.
“I’m always comfortable,” Murray said after the game about playing with different lineups this season. “It just matters who’s in the game for defense and our rotations, guys in and out of different roles, guys trying to get their rhythm because they haven’t played for a while.
“I don’t think that has anything to do with me. I just go out there and play, and whoever’s in the game is in the game. … After that I just hoop. I try not to overthink.”
Hoop he did on Saturday en route to a game-high 30 points along with seven assists. And he did it despite his own offensive struggles while shooting 0 of 8 from 3.
Instead, Murray put pressure on his defenders, attacked the basket and got to the free-throw line 16 times, anchoring a night in which the Nuggets shot 30 of 33 (90.9%) from the stripe. Their success at the line allowed the Nuggets to overcome a 1-of-17 effort from long distance in the second half.
Advertisement
Gordon, Jokić get right after halftime
Murray’s steady second-quarter hand set the table for Gordon and Jokić to pace a third quarter that allowed the Nuggets to take control.
Jokić opened the third with a layup to continue Denver’s momentum from the second quarter. It set the tone for a 14-0 Nuggets run that allowed them to take an 82-68 lead. Gordon, free from his foul-induced shackles of the first half, capped that run with a put-back dunk that sent the Denver crowd into a frenzy.
The game wasn’t over at that point. In part because of Denver’s struggles from the 3-point line, the Timberwolves cut the deficit to 97-95 midway through the fourth quarter.
Advertisement
But Jokić quelled the Minnesota rally with a 5-0 run of his own that featured an and-1 layup over Rudy Gobert, who was the source of much of his first-half frustration.
When the game was done, Jokić finished where he generally does, posting a 25-point, 13-rebound, 11-assist triple-double. Gordon tallied 17 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists after being limited to just 10 first-half minutes. And the Nuggets held a 1-0 series lead.
“We know what this is,” Nuggets coach David Adelman said after the game of what Gordon means to Denver’s lineup. “When Aaron plays, we’re a different team. It’s just the bottom line.
Advertisement
“It’s not the stats. It’s the feel. We feel bigger because we are. His ball-handling, the way he brings the ball up against pressure.”
Healthy Nuggets are dangerous
After playing much of the season shorthanded, the Nuggets are suddenly relatively healthy.
Braun and Johnson were key contributors Saturday night alongside Jokić and Gordon. Johnson helped Murray keep the ship afloat with 10 first-half points en route to 12 for the game.
Braun tallied 12 points and eight rebounds while taking on perhaps the most difficult role of the game as the primary defender on Anthony Edwards. He largely succeeded while limiting the Minnesota All-Star to 22 points on 7-of-19 shooting.
Advertisement
Jokić described Braun’s defense on Edwards as “annoying.” Adelman called it game-winning.
“When you guard the best player on the other team and still get back in the fray and come up with defensive rebounds, that wins playoff games,” Adelman said. “It’s not sexy. It’s just the facts.”
Back also for the Nuggets was reserve Spencer Jones, who was a game-time decision with a hamstring strain that sidelined him for the last six games of the season. He played just nine minutes, but came up with five critical first-half points to help spark the Denver rally.
Peyton Watson was the only rotation player not available for the Nuggets on Saturday, and he could miss the entire postseason with a lingering hamstring injury. But this is a Nuggets team with championship experience featuring most of its key parts.
Advertisement
It also has experience figuring out how to win when those players aren’t available. It adds up to a lineup that will be a tough out for the Timberwolves and should serve notice to the rest of a loaded Western Conference playoff field.
Game 2 is slated for 10:30 p.m. ET in Denver.
Read the full article here