Wolves back

A resounding Game 6 performance.

Good morning. Let’s basketball.

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The Holy Office; Francisco Goya; 1821-23

With nine minutes left in the first quarter, Micah Nori (or maybe Chris Finch) called a timeout. Denver had just scored on four straight possessions, three of them on fast breaks, to take a 9-2 lead. The Nuggets looked comfortable, just as they had in Game 3 and Game 5. The Timberwolves were playing frantic, the crowd seemed anxious, and the game was about to turn south quickly.

After the timeout, the Wolves went on a 20-0 run. Or a 27-2 run, depending on how you want to look at it. It basically sucked up the entire quarter, and quickly. By the end of the first the Wolves were up 17 … despite not being particularly hot from the floor: Minnesota had “only” scored 31 in the first on 48% shooting (3/11 from deep) and only four free throws.

This felt like a huge victory for the Wolves’ defense: not that they had solved the amazing Nuggets offense, but that they had found something to frustrate what Denver had been doing with relative ease for the better part of three straight games.