It was easy to get lost in the fact that the Nuggets blew a 19-point lead against the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 2 of the first round of the playoffs, eventually losing the game 119-114. The collapse started in the second quarter, and it must have affected the Nuggets. Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray couldn't execute in the clutch offensively, but the story going around is Jokic's poor defense and the Nuggets' lack of getting stops in the paint.
Sure, there were some layups that Jokic allowed in the Game 2 loss, and the knock on Jokic that he isn't a rim protector. But the bigger picture is in the data and film after the loss. Jokic kept the Wolves under 40% from the floor when he was the nearest defender.
The problem on defense is that by the time someone is in the paint, they have a full head of steam, and Jokic can't get over there quickly enough to do anything about it. The perimeter needs to get more physical before the Timberwolves even get into the paint.
Throw some bodies into the gaps and slow down the ball carrier. Jokic isn't the quickest on defense, but he's going to get stops if Anthony Edwards isn't already three steps past him.
The non-Jokic minutes are a big issue. Again.
Yes, the starters had a rough time, but it was the non-Jokic minutes that carried the worst plus-minus. Jonas Valanciunas was minus 4, as was Spencer Jones. Big Val saw just under three minutes of court action in the second quarter and didn't go back on the floor. Jones inherited those minutes in the fourth quarter.
The snowball starts rolling downhill right there and doesn't stop until it's too late. The Nuggets blinked, and the 19-point lead was gone, and it was all square again by halftime.
It's happened too often this year. Head coach David Adelman had even taken Valanciunas out of the rotation for five games in March before injuries forced him back into the lineup again.
The Nuggets' offense hasn't helped the cause
The Nuggets came into the playoffs with the league's highest-rated offense at a 121.2 offensive rating during the regular season. That is now 112.2 after two games against the Timberwolves. The Timberwolves took the Nuggets out of their normal game plan in Game 2 and forced Jokic to hoist up threes, and he just hasn't been able to hit them lately. He was 1-7, and his inability to knock down a wide-open three is a bit of a liability now.
The Nuggets' clutch play was also a disaster in Game 2's defeat. Joker and Murray had just two combined points over the final five minutes, and Christian Braun missed a crucial free throw.
The Nuggets shot poorly in both games and are 1-1 in the best-of-seven series. The defense has actually, probably, kept them in both games. And Jokic hasn't been as bad as it seems. Once you see the whole picture, the Nuggets aren't in such a bad spot if the offense can come around.
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