The 5 biggest keys to the Nuggets Timberwolves 2nd round playoff matchup

2. Production off the bench

The Nuggets bench has been their biggest question mark for this entire season. They lost veterans Bruce Brown and Jeff Green, who played key roles in last year’s title. They really only replaced them with young, unproven players like Christian Braun and Peyton Watson, along with veterans Reggie Jackson and Justin Holiday. 

Each of those guys has had their moments, but this series will be a different animal and they’ll be relied on more than ever. At some point, Denver is going to have to get some production from somebody off the bench.

The Timberwolves have gotten excellent bench production this season, especially from Sixth Man of the Year Naz Reid. Reid has been the highlight with his scoring, but they’ve gotten great two-way play from Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Kyle Anderson as well. The Wolves have been able to rely on their bench and that’s something that could work to their advantage.

Denver doesn’t have to win the minutes when Jokic is on the bench, but they have to be competitive and keep it close. If their bench can step up and keep those minutes close to even, the Nuggets will have a great chance to win the series.