Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone challenged his team to act and play like the defending champions.
On Friday, the Nuggets, and Jamal Murray in particular, responded with their best performance of the playoffs, routing the Minnesota Timberwolves 117-90 in Game 3 at the Target Center. The Nuggets trail the Wolves 2-1 in their best-of-seven series.
Murray, fueled by a hostile Minnesota crowd that booed him from the moment he stepped onto the floor during pregame warmups, scored 18 of his 24 points in the first half to set the tone for the Nuggets.
“That definitely fueled me during the game,” Murray said of the boos. “And just keeps me in that mode. So it’s fun. I embrace that challenge. I embrace that moment. I probably deserved the boos, so I’m not shying away from it.”
Minnesota fans wouldn’t let Murray off the hook for throwing a heat pack and towel onto the floor during a dreadful 106-80 Nuggets loss in Game 2. Murray, who shot 3-for-18 in that loss, was fined $100,000 by the league for throwing objects onto the court.
Murray’s troublesome left calf strain was better Friday night, and he thrived in his role as the villain.
“He does kind of relish those moments where he’s a bad guy,” Malone said. “To me, that beginning of the game, you’re in hostile territory and that’s kind of where you separate the man from the boys.”
The Nuggets built a 45-25 lead midway through the second quarter. With Malone emphasizing a hit-first mentality on offense, the Nuggets cleared more space for their shooters than they had in the previous two games against Minnesota’s suffocating defense.
Minnesota fans likely wished Murray had been suspended for throwing objects onto the floor in Game 2, even if Wolves coach Chris Finch wasn’t expecting that to happen.
“I wasn’t disappointed in the league’s decision,” Finch said. “Not because necessarily I agreed. It was simply I never, ever, ever expected them to suspend him. I thought they would throw a heavy fine. There hasn’t really been much precedent for suspending people certainly in the playoffs unless it’s a repeat offense. Whether it is or it isn’t a suspendable thing doesn’t matter now.”
Finch was expecting the Nuggets to deliver a championship performance, and Denver did just that. All five of Denver’s starters scored in double figures. After Murray started hot, MVP Nikola Jokic took over in the third quarter, scoring 13 of his 24 points in the frame. He finished with 24 points, 14 rebounds, 9 assists, 3 steals and 3 blocks, along with several crucial screens to set teammates free for shots.
Michael Porter Jr. had 21 points, and Aaron Gordon buried three triples and had 13 points.
