By Daniel Paiz

A rough shooting night for Denver leads to Game 6 loss, as the Minnesota Timberwolves win 115-70 in Minnesota. Nikole Jokic notched 22 points and nine rebounds, while Aaron Gordon had 12 points and eight rebounds. Denver’s bench scored a total of nine points, most of which was scored in the fourth.

Anthony Edwards had a bounce-back game with 27 points, and Jaden McDaniels finally made an appearance in this series with 21 points. Minnesota’s rebounding and defensive pressure forced Denver to take bad shots and they didn’t adjust, forcing a Game 7 in Denver on Sunday.

How the night played out

First Quarter

Nikola Jokic slams it hard to tie it at 2 with over 10 minutes left in the first. Michael Porter Jr. jams it home and a Jokic layup make it 6-2. Porter Jr. then swishes a three, and timeout Minnesota as the Nuggets lead 9-2 at the nine-minute mark. A quick response makes it 11-9 now Minnesota. The home team is making more efforts right now, as Nuggets calls a timeout with six minutes left. Denver has to move the ball around more and collect themselves. 26-11 now with under three to go; Denver has to improve the ball movement, as runs happen in the playoffs. Caldwell-Pope hits a three to cuts it 29-14. Minnesota has a 31-14 lead after one, Denver has some work to do.

Second Quarter

Murray finger rolls it in to make it 33-16. Jokic lobs it in and it’s 33-18 at the under ten mark. 33-21 now as Denver is starting to score. Gordon knocks down a three and it’s 35-24. 43-24 at the 6:30 mark as Denver takes another timeout; the Nuggets’ defensive efforts have to increase. 48-26 now with 4:22 left. Porter Jr. drives and cuts it to 48-29 after hitting the and one free throw. Gordon hits a three to cut it to 53-33. 57-36 after a Jokic drive and free throw make. KCP hits a couple of free throws to cut it to 57-38. 57-40 after a Jokic floater. 59-40 Minnesota at halftime, and they’ve outrebounded Denver 34-18 on the glass. Jokic has 11 points, and the Nuggets have to attack the paint and the boards to build a comeback.

Third Quarter

A Gordon jam makes it 61-42 to get Denver on the board in the third. 66-42 now as Denver takes a timeout, needing to regroup. KCP three makes it 67-45. Murray three makes it 69-48. Denver keeps settling on offense, not moving the defense enough, which is allowing Minnesota to push their pace on the other end. 76-53 with five minutes to go after a Murray three. 78-55 after a hard fought Jokic shot. 86-61 at the end of three, Jokic has 22 points. Denver has to outhustle the opponent in the fourth quarter, in order to change the momentum.

Fourth Quarter

A Christain Braun jam makes it 88-63 to start the fourth. 93-63 and Denver takes a timeout, things are not going Denver’s way and they haven’t responded so far. Both teams put in their backups by the seven-minute mark, and it’s just waiting for the final buzzer. Denver’s biggest issues tonight were not attacking the rim, and not upping their defensive pressure. The Minnesota crowd can celebrate all they want; this shooting discrepancy isn’t going to happen every game, as Denver is shooting around 30 percent and Minnesota is shooting around 48 percent. Rebounding and effort have determined this outcome. Minnesota loses 115-70, Game 7 will be on Sunday.

Game 6 pitfalls

Rebounding

Minnesota outrebounded Denver 62-43 and kept attacking the glass. Denver has to focus on their rebounding efforts, as Gobert had 14 rebounds, Towns had 13 and Naz Reid had 11 rebounds. That’s unlikely to happen again if Denver hunts for rebounds and increases their efforts. The paint presence for Denver will have to be notable and consistent.

Shooting Discrepancy

Minnesota shot over 46 percent tonight while Denver hit just over 30 percent from the field. There are nights where everything goes in for one side, and nothing goes in for the other. Part of Denver’s shooting woes were settling too much. Taking threes after burning a majority of the shot clock, going through one or two screens and then not continuing to move. The Nuggets have to take a page from Jokic in the second and third quarters when he kept cutting, that effort is what the difference was tonight. Denver won’t shoot so poorly in Game 7, and Minnesota won’t hit every shot either. Improved ball movement coupled with winning the rebounding battle will mix well with a home crowd in Game 7.