Well, it looks like Jamal Murray is in playoff mode. Murray led the Denver Nuggets with 40 points, three rebounds and five assists to help secure a 2-0 series lead, and his scoring explosion couldn’t have come at a better time.
Murray was extremely efficient in his outing, making 13 of 22 of his field goal attempts, 6 of 10 threes and 8 of 9 of his free throws. That was enough to counter Anthony Edwards, who again showed that he’s ready for prime time with 41 points, two rebounds, four assists, two steals and three blocks.
Edwards tried his best to will the Minnesota Timberwolves to victory, but he just didn’t get enough help from his teammates. No one else from the Minnesota Squad broke the 20-point mark. The closest was Rudy Gobert, who finished with 19 points, eight rebounds and four assists. It’s going to be tough to win a game against the best team from the Western Conference when Gobert is your second-leading scorer, especially when Karl-Anthony Towns played.
Towns had a tough go, shooting 3 of 12 overall to finish with 10 points and 12 rebounds. Without a better offensive output from his co-star, there was just a little too much for Edwards to overcome.
Murray, on the other hand, was able to rely on Nikola Jokic. The Joker finished with 27 points, nine rebounds and nine assists while shooting 10 of 19 overall. With Jokic anchoring the offense, and Murray getting back to deadly form, the Nuggets look like they’ve got the momentum to carry themselves into the second round.
That’s not to say things will be easy, though. Minnesota are a gutsy team, and a talent like Edwards will always give you trouble when he’s playing in front of his home crowd. The Timberwolves will have to find a way to get more out of Towns. They’re supposed to have two stars, and both will have to produce to push the series to more than four games.
