Nuggets take Game 1
- Denver beat Minnesota 116-105 in Game 1, fueled by Nikola Jokić’s triple-double and strong scoring support. (x.com) - Jamal Murray scored 30 points while Jokić recorded a triple-double, and Aaron Gordon added 17 points. (x.com) - The result was one of several lopsided opening-weekend matchups that shifted early playoff narratives. (x.com)
Denver opened its first-round series by beating Minnesota 116-105 on April 18, with Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray taking over after a slow start. (apnews.com) Murray scored 30 points and went 16-for-16 at the free-throw line, while Jokić finished with a triple-double in Denver’s win at Ball Arena. ESPN’s box score listed Minnesota ahead 33-23 after the first quarter before Denver won the second 39-29 and the third 29-17. (apnews.com) (espn.com) Aaron Gordon added 17 points despite early foul trouble, and the game turned chippy early with two coach’s challenges, a technical foul on Minnesota coach Chris Finch’s staff-led bench, and a flagrant foul on Jaden McDaniels for closing under Murray on a jumper. (espn.com) (denverpost.com) This matchup carries recent playoff history. Denver beat Minnesota in the 2023 first round on its way to the franchise’s first National Basketball Association title, then Minnesota came back from 20 points down in Game 7 to eliminate Denver in the 2024 Western Conference semifinals. (nba.com) (sportingnews.com) The seeding gave Denver home court, but not a huge regular-season gap. The Nuggets finished 54-28 and third in the West, while the Timberwolves finished 49-33 and sixth. (espn.com) Denver’s formula in Game 1 looked familiar: Jokić controlled the middle of the floor as a scorer and passer, and Murray supplied the late-clock shotmaking. NBA.com said the pair combined for 55 points, 18 rebounds and 18 assists. (nba.com) Minnesota still got the kind of start it wanted. The Timberwolves scored 62 points in the first half, but their offense stalled to 43 points after halftime as Denver tightened up defensively. (espn.com) (denverpost.com) Game 2 is set for Monday, April 20, back in Denver, with the Nuggets up 1-0 and Minnesota trying to avoid heading home in a two-game hole. (sports.yahoo.com)
