Confidence Shaken

The Minnesota Timberwolves seemed like a lock for the Western Conference Finals after stealing the first two games of the series in Denver. But now, after losing both games three and four at home, they are an underdog to win the series with (+140) odds. Anthony Edwards has still been excellent, but his supporting cast has not scored as much in recent games. In Game four, Edwards had 44 points, but the next highest scorer was Mike Conley with just 15 points.

Anthony Edwards has been incredible in the playoffs, he is averaging 32.1 PPG to go with 6.5 RPG and 5.6 RPG. He played 45 minutes in Game four, and in those minutes the Timberwolves were plus five in scoring, they lost the game in the minutes he was off the floor. He needs to get more help to win in Game five. Karl-Anthony Towns should be the second scorer, but he was held to just 13 points on 5-18 shooting. Towns is averaging 18.9 PPG in the playoffs. Rudy Gobert is averaging a double-double in the postseason with 11.9 PPG and 10.7 RPG. Mike Conley is getting 11.3 PPG and 7.0 APG in the playoffs, while Jaden McDaniels is averaging 10.4 PPG, though he has not scored over 11 in all four games against Denver.

Naz Reid and Nickeil Alexander-Walker are the top Timberwolves off the bench. Reid is averaging 10.8 PPG and Alexander-Walker is getting 9.5 PPG in the playoffs. Kyle Anderson is the only other rotational player getting meaningful minutes off the bench. Minnesota is ranked 17th in offensive efficiency and 1st in defensive efficiency. They play at the 22nd fastest tempo in the league.

Injury Report: None listed that will impact the depth chart.

Nuggets Regain Control

The Denver Nuggets had their back against the wall, down 2-0 in the series and heading to Minnesota. They were able to grab both games away from home as an underdog, and have turned this series into a best-of-three, with two games in Denver. Nikola Jokic was excellent in Game four, scoring 35 points on 15-26 shooting, but Aaron Gordon may have been the story of the game. Gordon played intense defense on Towns, and also made his first ten shots on his way to an 11-12 shooting night where he finished with 27 points.

Jamal Murray hit a buzzer-beater at the end of the first half from beyond halfcourt that can be seen in the clip above. He finished with 19 points and eight assists, and is averaging 20.7 PPG in the playoffs. Jokic is still the statistical leader for Denver, he has team highs of 27.6 PPG, 14.0 RPG, and 9.1 APG in the playoffs. Jokic had a 35-7-7 performance in the Game four win. Aaron Gordon had the big game last time out, which brought his postseason scoring up to 15.3 PPG. Michael Porter Jr. had his worst game of the playoffs in Game four, only scoring four points, but he is still averaging 18.7 PPG in the postseason.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope only had three points in the Game four win, and is averaging 7.4 PPG in the playoffs as the fifth starter. Christian Braun had a strong game off the bench with 11 points, but is averaging just 4.9 PPG in the playoffs. Denver is ranked 4th in offensive efficiency and 9th in defensive efficiency, and they play at the 27th fastest pace in the league.

Injury Report:

Questionable: Jamal Murray is still battling a strain in his calf, but is likely to play in Game five.