The Timberwolves are stifling the Nuggets so far.
The Denver Nuggets are not in trouble only because they lost Game 3, but because the Minnesota Timberwolves are starting to make Jamal Murray look uncomfortable in ways that change how the series feels.
Denver lost 113-96 on Thursday night and fell behind 2-1 in the first round, with the offense looking stuck while the Timberwolves turned the game into the physical matchup they wanted.
Denver shot 34.1 percent from the field and 20 percent from three, and while Nikola Jokic still had 27 points and 15 rebounds, even his night came on a hard 7-for-26 shooting performance.
The regular season résumé still reflects a team built to handle playoff pressure, but this series is testing how quickly the Nuggets can adjust.
Murray Has Cooled Off
Murray scored 30 in Game 2, but even after that game, he talked more about the shots that did not fall than the points he put up.
“You got to make shots to do it. And I didn’t make enough shots tonight,” Murray said after that loss. “We got the looks, played good offense, played good defense. Shots didn’t drop.”
Game 3 made the problem feel more real because Minnesota did not just wait for Murray to miss shots, it used length at the point of attack, crowded his airspace and forced him to work before he got into his spots.
Jaden McDaniels has been a major part of that, and Rudy Gobert’s presence behind the play has made drives feel less clean, turning Murray’s touches into difficult possessions instead of rhythm chances.
Murray’s regular season production still shows why Denver trusts him, but the Timberwolves are making every catch and pull-up feel harder.
Denver Needs Cleaner Actions
The Nuggets have to help Murray more in Game 4, not by asking him to force tougher shots, but by giving him earlier screens, better movement before the catch and quicker outlets when Minnesota loads up.
If Murray keeps creating late in the clock, the Timberwolves will take those possessions because that is where their length and rim protection have worked best.
The Aaron Gordon absence also matters because Denver loses another connector, cutter and physical finisher who can punish pressure around Jokic.
Without him, the Nuggets offense has less force in the gaps, and Murray sees more bodies when he tries to turn the corner.
Denver needs Murray to hit shots in Game 4, but it also needs to create better shots for him before Minnesota turns this into a 3-1 series.
The Timberwolves are winning the physical part of the matchup, forcing Denver to play in traffic and making Murray solve several layers at once, so the Nuggets playoff run may come down to whether he finds rhythm before the series slips away.