3 things we learned from Wolves' Game 3 loss to Nuggets

Game 3 was the Timberwolves' first loss in 26 days.

May 10, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) drives to the / Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

The defending champion, Denver Nuggets fought back Friday, taking down the Wolves 117-90, narrowing the series to 2-1.

It was the Timberwolves' first loss of the postseason and first loss in 26 days, so there is plenty to take away from Game 3.

What we learned:

1. Nuggets' defense

The Timberwolves defense was the talk of the town after allowing Denver to score only 80 points in Game 2. The Nuggets took that as a challenge, holding the Wolves to only 90 points in Game 3, their fewest since March 3.

Denver had a dominant defense of its own in the regular season, allowing 109.6 points per game, this sixth-best mark in the league. Mike Malone and his staff made that known Friday night, forcing Minnesota to shoot 30.3% from beyond the three-point line and 14 turnovers. Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray might not be dominant defenders, but just about everyone else on the Nuggets roster is about as good as they come at that end of the floor.

2. Jamal Murray

In Game 2 Jamal Murray was held to eight points on 3 of 18 shooting from the field. After one of the worst postseason performances of his career, many were questioning how much success he could have in this series. He answered with a 24-point performance, where he shot 11 of 21 from the field and only had three turnovers.

Murray had averaged 12.5 points per game through the first two contests of the series. It seemed like Minnesota had found something with Jaden McDaniels and Nickeil Alexander-Walker guarding Murray, but he and the Nuggets responded on Friday. He proved that he's too good of a player to not make noise in the scoring column in this series.

3. Lack of secondary shot-creator

Anthony Edwards led the Wolves with 19 points Friday, but that was his second-lowest output of the postseason. What was more concerning, was the lack of a secondary scorer. Karl-Anthony Towns was second on the team with 14 points, but when Edwards wasn't finding success, the team looked lost and confused.

KAT, Mike Conley Jr., Jaden McDaniels or Naz Reid have all shown the ability to get a big bucket when the team needs it most, but nobody seemed to be able to hit that second gear Friday night. Reid and Towns combined for half of the team's threes, while McDaniels and Conley combined to shoot one of seven from beyond the arc. Minnesota will need someone other than Edwards to step up in Game 4.