Overreaction theater: 5 major takeaways from Timberwolves game 1 win over Nuggets
By Ben Handler
#3: Wolves smothering Denver with their size
The Lakers are considered one of the bigger teams in the league, but that seemed like night and day when facing the Timberwolves. Minnesota was able to have Karl-Anthony Town use his quickness to try and stay in front of Jokic while matching up reasonably with size. That allowed Rudy Gobert to roam around, bothering and dissuading shots while adding an extra layer of protection at the rim.
The Wolves had a sizable advantage down low all night, winning the rebounding battle, second-chance points, points in the paint, and blocking more shots. Usually, if the Nuggets have a disadvantage it can be at the three-point line but that wasn’t the case.
The Wolves just throttled Denver at their own game for the most part, smothering them inside and dictating the matchup with physicality. It’s unusual to see the Nuggets pushed off their sports but that was the case as the Wolves owned the inside.
I’m not sure if there’s really an adjustment Denver can make to match the size of the Wolves. I doubt playing De’Andre Jordan or Zeke Nnaji is going to help much. They are just going to have be play better, and make a more concerted effort to crash the boards 1-5.