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NBA Playoffs: Western Conference Seminfinals

Denver Nuggets @ Minnesota Timberwolves, Game 4

Target Center - Streaming on TNT

Wager: Denver +3

8:10 PM EST. Game 4 is a major inflection point in this western conference semifinal. If Denver wins, Minnesota must confront the disappointment of a major psychological letdown after initially leading the series 2-0. If Minnesota manages to get the W, it’s very unlikely that Denver would then turn around and win three games in a row, all but sealing a series victory for the upstart T-Wolves. Both teams know this, and thus the psychically and sheer intensity of Game 4 should be at an all-time high.

All that said, Minnesota should probably be worried after what happened in Game 3. Denver completely flipped the script on Friday, capitalizing off three full days of rest and performing like they didn’t have a care in the world. As a team, the Nuggets shot just under 54% from the floor, a complete 180 from their subpar and clunky showing in the first two affairs. Suddenly, Minnesota’s defense didn’t look like the best unit in the NBA at all, not even close. Nikola Joki? and Jamal Murray executed Denver’s offense like a pair of highly trained assassins, picking apart the T-Wolves resistance with fluid ball movement and a chemistry as crisp as we’ve seen all season. It was a champion's response and a champion's form with their collective backs against the wall, which is not a good sign for their opponent.

Games 1 and 2 were defined by the tenacity of a young, hungry Timberwolves' roster looking to become one of the top teams in the NBA, hellbent to unseat the current elite. It was an exciting thing for fans and bettors to watch, but it was equally unsettling to watch how defeated they looked after Game 3. Anthony Edwards is doing his best to stay confident and lead his team through the adversity, but the Nuggets have been here many times before. It showed in Game 3. Anthony Edwards is a damn good player, but the comparisons to Michael Jordan have been overblown; a sentiment he agrees with and has stated to the media all week. But if a young team like the T-Wolves is going to unseat a seasoned program like the Denver Nuggets, one that knows how to win games in the toughest spots, they need a Michael Jordan-like player and then some. ANT and his colleagues are very, very good, we're just not sure if they are good enough yet. Even on the road, we like Denver to respond again. 

Farley

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