A very poor shooting percentage is the NBA champions’ undoing. Denver misses out on an early entry into the Western Conference finals – now the last game decides
The defending champions Denver Nuggets have missed out on an early place in the semi-finals of the NBA playoffs. The team led by three-time MVP Nikola Jokic lost the sixth game of the best-of-seven series at the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday evening (local time) by a clear 70:115 and conceded the tie at 3:3. The seventh game on Sunday in Denver will decide who advances to the Western Conference finals.
The Nuggets were doomed by a catastrophic shooting percentage in Minneapolis. Only just over 30 percent of their attempts from the field landed in the basket, while the rate from the three-point line was an appalling 19.4 percent. The Timberwolves had an easy game in view of this yield. Anthony Edwards was once again the outstanding player for the hosts with 27 points, while Jokic’s 22 points were nowhere near enough for the Nuggets.
The winner of this series will face either the Dallas Mavericks led by German Maximilian Kleber or the Oklahoma City Thunder in the West final. The Mavericks lead 3:2 ahead of the sixth game in Dallas on Saturday.
