Adjustment #2: Doubling Ant
The other major adjustment Malone and the Nuggets made came on the defensive end. The team was getting dominated by Anthony Edwards, who was dictating everything for the Wolves offense. Edwards was taking over games and that was allowing his co-stars to get involved too.
The Wolves offense was pretty mediocre this regular season, but in the first few games of this season, they looked like world-beaters. Ant went over 40 points in two of the first four games, but in game 5 the Nuggets defensive approach changed.
The team threw a second defender at Edwards every time he caught the ball. They got more and more brazen on the traps and doubles to the point where Ant was forced to give up the ball. The adjustment worked as Edwards went for just 18 points on 5/15 shooting and turned the ball over 4 times.
Nikola Jokić's positioning while defending the pick-and-roll has been great. Playing up past the three-point line here negates Anthony Edwards' ability to get downhill to his left.
— Matt Brooks (@MattBrooksNBA) May 15, 2024
Cherry on top is when he rips away the ball from Ant. pic.twitter.com/7RQ4mvyI4P
He looked overwhelmed and unprepared for the more aggressive defense and nobody else on the Wolves was able to step up and carry the slack. Part of this was a result of Mike Conley missing the game with an injury, but either way, it was extremely effective.
Just watch how many defenders Anthony Edwards has to beat here.
— Itamar (@Itamar_17_10) May 15, 2024
1. Braun, the on-ball defender
2. Jokic, who's showing high after the screen
3. Murray, who's helping at the nail
4. KCP, waiting inside to contest the layup
5. MPJ, rotating to block the shot if necessary.
Whew. pic.twitter.com/fwiLK1syRA
We’ll see if this game was a one-off, or if things change if Conley returns, but Edwards has been carrying the Wolves offense and the Nuggets prevented that from happening. The Timberwolves are going to need to score more points if they’re going to win this series, and if the Nuggets keep Edwards from going off, that may be a tall order.