Timberwolves shut down Nuggets' two-man game to steal Game 2

Perhaps deterred by all his misses, Jokic got the ball in the lane with 20 seconds left and passed up a shot to dump the ball off to Braun, who missed one of the two free throws, forcing the Nuggets to foul. Then, Murray launched an inexplicable long two-pointer, which missed to end the game.

Denver Nuggets ignored players who helped them stay in the game

One drawback of the Jokic-and-Murray-centric offense was that it made the other players stagnant. The Nuggets were caught flat-footed on a Donte DiVincenzo runout after Gobert forced another Jokic miss and DiVincenzo got an uncontested layup.

DiVincenzo also did an admirable job when the Nuggets managed to get him switched off onto Murray. The "Big Ragu" was the Timberwolves unsung hero in Game 2, supplementing Anthony Edwards' 30-point game with 16 points, four three-pointers, seven rebounds, six assists and a triumphant dunk to end the game.

But it was McDaniels and Gobert who got it done at the end, overcoming some questionable decisions from the referees. McDaniels picked up his fifth foul on a very borderline foul on Braun, who split his free throws in a harbinger of his later crucial miss.

Gobert got a questionable offensive foul a minute later for pushing Jokic. But neither player fouled out nor played less aggressively, and the Timberwolves got a huge road win.

Jokic and Murray should bounce back. Still, the Timberwolves proved Monday, as they did in their 2024 series win, that they're not intimidated by big deficits or by the three-time MVP.