NBA : The Timberwolves shut down Jokic and seize control of the series

Putting a clamp on the Nuggets’ main man

The series has swung Minnesota’s way. The Timberwolves banked a convincing home win, 113-96. Chris Finch’s staff put in place a hard defensive plan and stuck to it. The main target was Nikola Jokic. The Serbian center still posted 27 points and 15 rebounds, but the shooting tells the real story: just 7 makes from 26 attempts.

Denver were already walking a tightrope without Aaron Gordon, who was ruled out with a calf muscle injury. The visitors shot just 34 percent overall. The numbers also show how much they were forced to live at the free-throw line, with 32 makes from 40 attempts. Jamal Murray finished with 16 points, hitting 5 of 17 from the field.

A balanced attack and a few fitness worries

Minnesota’s offence was spread around. Every starter got into double figures. Jaden McDaniels had 20 points and 10 rebounds. But the biggest scoring burst came from the bench. Ayo Dosunmu put up 25 points and 9 assists, and his pace in transition stood out all night.

Anthony Edwards, who finished with 17 points, needed careful handling throughout. Knee trouble kept cropping up, sending him back for repeated checks during the game. Minnesota’s early cushion helped cover for that issue. They were away and clear from the start, racing to an 18-6 lead by the five-minute mark after Jokic missed his first five shots. By half-time, the gap was up to 22 points, 61-39.

Inside the paint, Minnesota won the battle that mattered

The shot charts back up Minnesota’s plan. Both teams were poor from long range, hitting just 25 percent of their attempts. The Timberwolves made up for it by hammering the paint. They scored 68 points inside, exactly twice Denver’s total. The ball moved, too: 31 assists to 12.

Rudy Gobert made his presence felt under the basket. By taking away easy back-to-the-basket looks, Minnesota forced Jokic to do more work from outside the paint, where he converted just 2 of 10. The plus-minus numbers tell the rest of the story. Gobert finished at +18. His Denver counterpart was stuck at -21.

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