Christian Braun’s smile was icier than a Minnesota lake in December.
Denver’s rookie had a cold, calculated grin after he and Timberwolves veteran Kyle Anderson needed to be separated late in the third quarter. Anderson’s frustration came as a result of Braun’s tenacious defense, but also the relentless pounding Denver was hanging on Minnesota.
The Nuggets looked and acted like the No. 1 seed late Sunday night, throttling the visiting Timberwolves, 109-80, in Game 1 of their best-of-7 first-round playoff series.
“We’re not gonna celebrate,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said, intent on repeating the effort later in the series. Most pleased with the defense, Malone said he gave the Defensive Player of the Game chain to the entire team.
Nuggets center Nikola Jokic toyed with Minnesota’s ballyhooed frontcourt, amassing 13 points and 14 rebounds before fouling out in the fourth quarter. After a slow start, Jamal Murray came alive in his first playoff game since the Bubble. He was particularly demonstrative during the Braun dust-up, needing only a spark to ignite his fire.
Murray finished with a game-high 24 points, including three 3-pointers in the second half. His moxie amounted to salt in the wound for an overwhelmed Minnesota team that was led by Anthony Edwards’ 18 points.
“Don’t come up for air,” Malone said of the team’s dominant effort.
The Nuggets’ Michael Porter Jr. was outstanding in 31 minutes, finishing with 18 points and 11 rebounds. His size and length helped the Nuggets dominate the paint. By virtue of Denver’s 16 3-pointers, it was clear Minnesota couldn’t do much defensively against the home team’s elite offense.
How the visitors adjust, to Denver’s size and 3-point shooting, will go a long way to determining Wednesday’s Game 2 and the rest of the series.
The Nuggets spent the third quarter running roughshod through Minnesota’s defense. When Porter was fouled and fell on a 3-pointer, Jokic flexed his arm and ran over to help him back up. That opened the floodgates. Aaron Gordon, Bruce Brown and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope all connected from 3-point range to drown Minnesota in a deluge of deep looks. Eager to get in on the rout, even backup center DeAndre Jordan hammered home an alley-oop off an audacious look from Murray.
All of that preempted the fireworks when Braun and Anderson needed to be separated after Denver’s rookie refused to let him get a practice shot off.
As for Murray, even though it had been months in the making, Murray’s return to the postseason stage was still a moment to celebrate.
“It is kind of wild to think it’s been (since the Bubble), missing the last two playoffs for us,” Malone said before the game. “I’m just so happy for him, proud of him. It has not been an easy journey for him, but I think this year, we’ve seen Jamal have moments where that’s the Jamal Murray that we all love and remember. He’s really excited to get back out there, play, and remind people of what he’s capable of.”
Murray struggled to find space against surprise starter Nickeil Alexander-Walker but was more than capable of getting inside and battling on the boards. The latter was another indication of how much trust he’s developed in his surgically-repaired knee. Murray shrugged his shoulders in relief when he finally got a 3-pointer to drop.
From a team perspective, Malone implored his guys to be aggressive and disciplined.
“Discipline can take many shapes and forms – taking care of the ball, personnel discipline, gameplan discipline, executing our plays,” Malone said.
He had to be thrilled with their adherence to defensive principles, swarming and swatting Minnesota en route to a 55-44 halftime lead.
And outside of Edwards, whose explosiveness had Denver’s attention, no other player got loose in the first half.
Porter, perhaps heeding Malone’s advice, was aggressive. He hammered two thunderous dunks to remind onlookers what he’s capable of when healthy.
But the hub of Denver’s offense was Jokic, who spun and dazzled Ball Arena like a halftime ballerina act. Despite Minnesota’s familiarity with Jokic, the reigning MVP slung blind passes to waiting shooters that couldn’t be defended. And when he got his preferred matchup, he had no problem dropping his shoulder and flashing elite post work to the delight of Nuggets fans.
His first-half double-double, with 13 points and 10 rebounds, featured interior work that would’ve made Hakeem Olajuwon proud.
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