In a 106-80 win on Monday night, the Minnesota Timberwolves took a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference semifinals against the reigning NBA champion Denver Nuggets. Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns led the charge, scoring 27 points as the Wolves improved to 6-0 in the playoffs.
Charles Barkley, never one to mince words, declared the series all but over, saying “This series is a wrap. Minnesota is better than the Nuggets. No disrespect, they don’t have an advantage. The MVP is getting outplayed. They don’t have an advantage anywhere.”
Barkley was particularly impressed with the Timberwolves’ dominance, stating “They have ‘that guy’… and that bulldog, he might as well be a damn wolf. He’s like, ‘Come on, boys, follow me!’ And the other guys are following him. When you have a guy like that and some other good players, no team is going to be good unless you have ‘a guy’.”
He also praised the team’s ability to adapt, saying, “[Jokic] is ‘a guy’, but not in this series. Those two guys… he couldn’t even think about this. He couldn’t even dominate one of them.”
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves, Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets Updates
Conversely, the Nuggets were left reeling, with coach Michael Malone and player Jamal Murray expressing their frustration through outbursts and objects thrown onto the court.
Barkley summed it up, saying “You know how rough it’s going to be going to Minnesota against those two guys? Because he… you saw what happened in Game 1, and he didn’t play. And I said, ‘Well, the Joker can dominate tonight because Rudy’s not here.’ You never thought the devil was going to win that game tonight.”
The Timberwolves’ convincing win has put them in a strong position to close out the series, with Barkley declaring “The Minnesota Timberwolves are for real. They’re going to sweep the Denver Nuggets, period.”
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves, Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets Updates
With two more games in Minneapolis, the Nuggets must regroup and find a way to counter the Timberwolves’ dominant performance if they hope to stay in the series.
The Nuggets’ struggles were evident from the start, with a slow first half that saw them trail by 26 points at halftime.
Despite Aaron Gordon‘s strong start, the team was unable to keep up with the Timberwolves’ pace, with Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray struggling to make an impact. The team’s frustration boiled over, and Malone and Murray both received technical fouls for their outbursts.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves, Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets Updates
With the series heading back to Minneapolis, the Timberwolves are poised to take a commanding lead. The Nuggets must find a way to regroup and refocus if they hope to stay in the series.
As Barkley said, “The Minnesota Timberwolves are for real,” and they’re not going to let up anytime soon.
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