3 Things that must happen for the Nuggets to come back vs Timberwolves
By Ben Handler
#3.) Win the battle of role players
The Nuggets bench has gotten completely dominated and largely exposed so far in this series. Christian Braun and Peyton Watson don’t look ready for the moment and have barely contributed. They need to be able to find ways to impact the series when they are on the court and at least bring positive energy. They can’t be completely reliant on Reggie Jackson and Justin Holiday.
On top of that, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Aaron Gordon have been non-factors for the most part, contributing minimally on offense, and struggling to contain Anthony Edwards on the other end.
Meanwhile, the Wolves role players have been excellent and one of the bigger stories of the series. Naz Reid looks like a legitimate star on both ends. Jaden McDaniels and Nickeil Alexander-Walker have been destroying worlds defensively. Mike Conley and Monte Morris have looked like composed vets picking their spots.
Role players generally play better at home but that has not been the case thus far. If that doesn’t change, the Nuggets may just be drawing dead. They need a lot of things to shift, and part of that is winning - or at least competing - beyond the stars.