The 5 biggest keys to the Nuggets Timberwolves 2nd round playoff matchup
By Ben Handler
4. 3-point shooting
Neither of these teams shoots a lot of threes relative to the current NBA. The Nuggets shot the fewest in the league, while the Wolves were also bottom 10. But both teams generally shot it well, finishing top 10 in 3-point shooting %. The playoffs are often about taking away what the other team wants to do and that means a lot of questionable shooters getting left open for three-pointers.
We saw this happen with the Nuggets in round one and other than Michael Porter Jr., the team really struggled from three-point land, especially on open looks. The Wolves defense is elite and at some point, the Nuggets are going to need their role players to start burying open looks. That’s one thing Minnesota may live with and one way Denver can punish them, but if the shots don’t start falling that will make life very difficult.
On the other end, the Wolves were lighting it up in their first-round series, shooting over 38% as a team from deep in three of the four games. The Wolves struggle to score at times, but Edwards and Towns are capable of catching fire from three at any time. They also can generate shots for reliable veteran shooters like Anderson, NAW, Mike Conley, and Jaden McDaniels and Naz Reid have also been stroking it well.