The Timberwolves stunned the Nuggets in the first two games of their second-round series. Now, they are looking to throw a knockout punch in Game 3 on their home floor.
Minnesota throttled Denver in Game 2, running away with a 106-80 victory and securing a 2-0 lead against the defending NBA champions. Despite the absence of starting center Rudy Gobert, who was in Minneapolis for the birth of his first child, the Timberwolves limited the Nuggets to 34.9 percent shooting from the field.
“When you don’t got the Defensive Player of the Year, you gotta step your game up,” four-time All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns told TNT’s Allie LaForce. “We all understood the challenge coming in. … We just wanted to come here and find a way to win the game.”
The Timberwolves also excelled on the offensive end, shooting 50.0 percent from the field and 39.4 percent from 3-point range. Towns and Anthony Edwards each scored 27 points, while the Nuggets’ star duo of Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray combined for just 24 points.
Denver coach Michael Malone described the performance as disappointing “all the way across the board.”
“You can feel sorry for yourself, or you can do whatever you can to try to be better come Game 3,” Malone said. “That’s my focus, is rallying these guys to continue to fight. No one said it was gonna be easy. Right now, we understand that.”
Can the Nuggets bounce back and add some intrigue to what has been a one-sided series? Or will the Wolves keep rolling?
Here is everything you need to know about Nuggets vs. Timberwolves, including TV and streaming options for Game 3.
Game 3 will be played on Friday, May 10, at the Target Center in Minneapolis. The Nuggets and Timberwolves will then meet in Game 4 on Sunday, May 12.
Game 3 will tip off around 9:30 p.m. ET as part of Friday’s postseason doubleheader. Game 3 between the Knicks and Pacers is scheduled to begin around 7 p.m. ET.
Nuggets vs. Timberwolves will air on ESPN in the United States and TSN 1/3 in Canada. U.S. viewers can also stream the game on Sling.
Sling is the home for sports fans, as it offers a wide a range of channels. You can always cheer for your favorite teams with channels like ESPN, TBS, TNT, NFL Network, FS1 and more.
In the United Kingdom, select playoff games are available to watch on TNT Sports and stream on Discovery+. In India, fans can catch select playoff games on Sports 18 and JioCinema (check local listings). Games can also be streamed via NBA League Pass.
If Nuggets vs. Timberwolves is not available to watch live in your location or if you’re traveling abroad, you can use a Virtual Private Network (VPN). VPNs provide a secure and private online connection, allowing you to bypass geographical restrictions to access your favorite streaming services.
The Nuggets and Timberwolves have not yet released injury reports for Game 3, but there are already questions about the availability of Murray after he threw a heat pack onto the floor during Game 2.
Officials didn’t notice that the 27-year-old guard angrily threw the pack onto the floor from the bench area, so Murray wasn’t penalized at the time. In the postgame pool report, lead official Marc Davis said that Murray would have received a technical foul if someone on the crew had noticed his actions.
“For an ejection, you would have to determine it was thrown directly at somebody versus thrown in frustration,” Davis said.
It seems more likely that the NBA would fine Murray rather than suspend him, but if the league does take Murray off the board for Game 3, Denver’s challenge will become even more difficult.
