Author Monojit Mandal
During Sunday’s game, Christian Braun of the Denver Nuggets and Kyle Anderson, veteran forward for the Minnesota Timberwolves, clashed at the end of the third quarter. Anderson kicked the ball, even though possession had already been lost. Braun tried to recover the ball, but Anderson pushed him away. Fortunately, the players from both teams intervened before the incident escalated and the coaches arrived to take charge.
Anderson received a foul as a result of his involvement in the incident. Both teams looked different after the brawl, but Minnesota seemed to be the most affected, considering they were already down 25 points in the fourth quarter. The Timberwolves players, especially Anthony Edwards, Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert, were unhappy with their performance against the Nuggets, who controlled the game from start to finish.
Denver increased its halftime lead to 32 points by beating Minnesota 32-14 in the third quarter. Six Nuggets players scored at least 13 points, with Jamal Murray leading the way with 24. MVP Nikola Jokic had a double-double with 13 points and 14 rebounds, as well as six assists, continuing his excellent play this season.
Denver held Minnesota’s main players to 18 points on 40.0% shooting, 11 points on 5 of 15 shooting and eight points on five attempts from Edwards, Towns and Gobert.
The Nuggets’ play was erratic in the last few games of the regular season, casting doubt on their ability to win the Western Conference. However, their crushing performance against Minnesota silenced their critics, and they will be looking to maintain their form in the future.
When Denver continued to pressure Minnesota, Jamal Murray motioned to the fans, urging them to speak up. Still, it was a dominant performance from the Nuggets, who will be buoyed by this win as they prepare for the playoffs.