The Denver Nuggets spent most of March on a course that would have seen them claim the fifth or sixth seed in the playoffs, sending them out on the road in round one. But they rattled off an incredible 12-game winning streak to capture the three seed in the Western Conference, and home court advantage in the first round against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Having the home fans for "a little spark" was exactly what Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets needed in Game 1.
When asked if the Nuggets "fed off" the crowd, Jokic heaped praise on the Nuggets fans packed inside Ball Arena.
"Whenever we needed just kind of a little spark, they were behind our back. I love to play in front of our crowd, I think they are great," Jokic said. "I'm really thankful for them. It's great to have our fans and playing in front of our friends."
Don't ever let them say your heroes can't be your friends! And we support our friends, and Nuggets fans got loud during the 116-105 Game 1 victory. It was noticeable at home, and, obviously, on the court, too. It's an awesome feeling for fans knowing that energy can even fuel the best basketball player in the world.
The third quarter sparked it all
It got noticeably louder during the third quarter, and the roof about blew off Ball Arena when Mr. Nugget, Aaron Gordon, flushed a couple of dunks during a 14-0 run. He even had Jokic's back after Jokic was pushed by Jaden McDaniels.
Gordon gave the Timberwolves the "crazy eyes" look that Jokic gave the Thunder in March when Lu Dort got him with a cheap shot. It was awesome to see him come to Jokic's defense. Reminded me of Kenyon Martin being the enforcer during the Carmelo Anthony days. The toughness the Nuggets want and need in the playoffs.
AG had a big three in the third, plus another key dunk late in the fourth to help seal the game. Everything AG was doing was momentum-shifting, and the crowd fed off it and fed it back to the floor, and it was a spark to get the Nuggets going.
Nuggets shot poorly and still won
The Nuggets could make quick work of the series if Game 1 was an indicator. Jaden McDaniels said after the game he thought Rudy Gobert gave it his "best" on both ends of the floor. And the Nuggets still held on to win by 11, shooting poorly.
The Nuggets shot just 27.8% from three and 43.7% from the floor. But they held the Timberwolves to just 32.4% from three.
The home crowd spark helped provide offense and defense, and now hopefully the fans know how much they mean to the Nuggets, and the Nuggets mean to them.
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