It wasn’t a guarantee that the Denver Nuggets would survive elimination on their home floor, but they did it anyway.
Entering Game 5 at Ball Arena, the sentiment in the crowd was one of concern. For the first time in a while, Nuggets fans didn’t know what they were going to get from the Nuggets after what previously happened in Games 2, 3, and 4 of this series. Would the Nuggets suffer a reverse sweep? Or, would they stand their ground in front of the home fans?
It ended up being the latter, with the Nuggets winning 125-113 in a matchup that wasn’t quite as close as the score indicated. The Nuggets pushed the second half lead to 20+ points on multiple occasions, and it was only a late push that kept Minnesota hanging around for longer than fans may have hoped.
The crowd booed Jaden McDaniels continuously, got raucous when they needed to be, and was feeling just a bit uncomfortable until a late game sequence effectively sealed the game.
Still, the Nuggets got it done, a big improvement over the previous game with a singular buzzword permeating the media pressers afterward: physicality.
“Maybe that’s what we needed,” Nikola Jokic said of the team’s added aggression. “Maybe that’s the physicality that we needed, and that’s what we missed in the last game.”
“I think if you think about it – ‘Am I going to be physical or not?’ – I think you’re already at a disadvantage.”
Jokic helped set the tone for the Nuggets in the win throughout the evening with a nice all-around performance against Rudy Gobert and the Timberwolves defense. Jokic put up 27 points, 12 rebounds, and 16 assists in just under 38 minutes, shooting 9-of-15 from the field and just 1-of-4 from three. He was aggressive attacking the interior of the defense, applying pressure as a scorer and playmaker throughout the night that Denver desperately needed.
“I thought the screening was a lot better, which cleaned up guys and gave them better looks,” head coach David Adelman shared postgame. Several players set bone crushing screens today, but none were more physical than Jokic, who picked up his first screening foul in a long, long time. Jokic freed up Jamal Murray, Cam Johnson, and others on pick and rolls, dribble handoffs, and more, generating a screen assist often with his ability to create space for a teammate. That might sound simple, but it matters against the Timberwolves who have several defenders that are difficult to screen.
Of course, others needed to step up around Jokic. Jamal Murray had 24 points, 7 assists, 4 rebounds, and 4 steals in a much more engaged and effective defensive performance. Christian Braun hit a clutch three with under five minutes to go when the Timberwolves started to make a late push. Jonas Valanciunas came in off the bench and gave Denver some toughness and another scoring/screening option.
But the two guys that stood out most beyond Jokic were Cam Johnson and Spencer Jones, both of whom needed to have big moments to win Game 5. Johnson started the game off with a bucket but stayed consistent and relentless throughout the night. He finished with 18 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals, scoring a perfect 6-of-6 from two-point range on drives, pull-ups, and more.
In place of Aaron Gordon (who sat out tonight with the nagging calf injury), the Nuggets needed physicality, toughness, shotmaking, and defensive success. Spencer Jones made that happen.
Jones was relentless on both ends of the floor, scoring 20 points while shooting 7-of-9 from the field and 4-of-5 from three. He also added three steals and three blocks throughout the evening, helping the Nuggets with his energy, execution, and yes, physicality on the defensive end. Jones batted Julius Randle and shared how much he enjoyed that matchup in a playoff environment.
“They let go a lot more physicality. I love that aspect,” Jones shared postgame. “That’s why I really wanted to play in the playoffs, to get the refs off my back just a little bit.”
“Some guys want opportunities. Other guys take them and run with them. He’s done that the whole season,” Adelman opined on Jones’ growth throughout the year. “Spence deserves a lot of credit. He’s got self-confidence, and he’s got a coaching staff and a locker room that believes in him.”
Jones has earned that trust despite first appearing on a two-way contract earlier this year. He was battling in training camp hoping for a roster spot back in the day, but after receiving the guaranteed contract, the Nuggets are trusting Jones in the playoffs to fill in for the injured Aaron Gordon and Peyton Watson. Jones has HAD to be valuable immediately, and he has been exactly that.
“Coming into the season on a two-way, the goal was to get a standard contract,” Jones shared. “When you get the standard contract, the next goal was, ‘Yes, let’s try to get in the playoff rotation.’”
“He just competes, man,” Adelman stated plainly. “Randle’s an All-Star. Randle’s a load. And nobody in this room would want to be near Randle in their lives.”
Harsh, but true.
Now, the series transitions back to Minneapolis for Game 6. The Nuggets have a lot to figure out in how they’re going to approach winning that game, but the absences of Anthony Edwards (bone bruise) and Donte DiVincenzo (achilles tear) still loom large. Yes, the Nuggets have been without Peyton Watson for the full series and Aaron Gordon in a couple games, but those Minnesota injuries happening are perhaps far more impactful especially because they include a top tier player in the NBA.
Those absences aren’t going to affect how hostile the environment will be though. Expect Minneapolis to be a mad house on Thursday night.
“We’ve got to create our own energy,” Jokic shared postgame about preparing for Game 6. “We’re not going to let that noise affect us.”
“Game 6 will be its own story,” Adelman shared. “We have to prepare for what could happen, and then we have to prepare for what we know we can control.”
Whether you agree or not that Denver’s level of compete was good enough while in Minnesota in Game 3 and 4, the reality is that Game 6 could be potentially crazier. Can the Nuggets keep their composure in those moments if not everything goes according to plan? Game 5 was relatively easy from the perspective that Denver’s plan worked, and they didn’t have to change much on the fly as a result.
That might change in Game 6, and it’s up to the Nuggets to figure out how to respond to adversity when it inevitably arrives.
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