3 Reasons the Nuggets should want to play the Timberwolves in round 1
By Alex Murray
2. Own The Three-Point Line
The Nuggets don’t shoot a ton of threes, but when they do, they are pretty gosh darn efficient. They ranked fourth in the league in three-point shooting percentage at a healthy 37.9 percent, with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Michael Porter Jr., and Jamal Murray all shooting the deep ball at a 40 percent clip or better.
In Tuesday’s play-in game, Minnesota’s poor perimeter defense was on display as they allowed Dennis Schroder, LeBron James, and Rui Hachimura, none of whom shot the triple at a clip higher than 32 percent this season, to go 8-for-15 from deep, including the wide open game winner for Schroder from beyond the arc.
It wasn’t just the play-in game, however, as Minnesota finished the regular season with the seventh-worst opponent three-point percentage at 36.9. While the Nuggets did split the season series with Minnesota, one thing they did very well in the three games in which their MVP candidate played is shoot the three efficiently, launching the long ball at a 42 percent success rate in those three contests, two of which were victories.