Nuggets Roundtable: Is Nikola Jokic's wrist bothering him more than we think?

The Nuggets are sitting pretty up 2-0 in their first-round matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves as the series shifts to Minnesota for tonight’s Game 3. DNVR Nuggets previews the matchup, assesses Nikola Jokic’s wrist injury, and discuss how concerning Denver’s disaster third quarter was in Game 2.

What are you watching for in Game 3?

Adam Mares: Denver’s PnR defense. The Wolves found something in Anthony Edwards attacking out of PnR in game two. You can expect role players to shoot with more confidence at home so the spacing should be better for the Wolves. Taurean Prince, Jaylen Nowell, and the rest of the supporting cast will likely make Denver second guess packing the paint so aggressively. Karl-Anthony Towns will likely provide some extra outside scoring. Will it be enough to collapse Denver’s PnR defense? If so, it may expose a tragic flaw in the Nuggets that will come to haunt them in this series or, more likely, the next.

Harrison Wind: Does Denver’s defense travel? The Nuggets were the 6th-best defense in the league when they played at home this season. They were the 21st-ranked defense on the road. So it was a massive positive that the Nuggets showed up defensively like they did in Games 1 and 2 at Ball Arena. But now can they do it on the road? Also, the fatigue factor. Denver had two days off in between Games 1 and 2. There was just one day, plus travel, between Games 2 and 3. The Nuggets played their starters big minutes in Game 2 — 39 minutes for both Jamal Murray and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope — so we’ll see how fresh they are tonight.

Brendan Vogt: The Nuggets just won behind a 40-piece from Murray. Denver’s approach to their half-court offense will be worth monitoring in game 3. This offense is one of the best because of what Jokić,
Murray and even Porter are capable of doing. Any one of them can go off. But Denver’s offense is at its best as an egalitarian utopia. I’ll be interested to see if Murray comes out firing and if his teammates come out ball-watching or, ideally, the ball pops in the first quarter.

Is Nikola Jokic’s wrist bothering him more than we initially thought?

Mares: The first sign that it is bothering him more than usual is the fact that he is wearing tape on his wrist during the game. That’s not something he’s done all year so I am inclined to believe that it is bothering him quite a bit. It’s unclear, however, if the discomfort is actually affecting his ability to score. The Nuggets have a 121.6 ORTG through two games. That’s a better mark than they put up in the regular season. So it is unclear at this moment if Jokic is being less aggressive as a scorer because of the wrist injury or because his scoring simply isn’t needed too much right now.

Wind: Jokic shot 64% from floater range this season. That mark led the NBA despite the fact that he took the seventh-most shots from 5-9 feet this year. It’s a ridiculous number but also a Jokic staple. He’s been the best shooter from that distance in each of the last four seasons. But through two playoff games, Jokic is shooting just 4-13 from floater range. It’s as uncharacteristic as it gets for him and I have to think some of it has to do with his wrist. He just hasn’t had that same special level of touch in the paint so far in this series.

Vogt: The wrist is clearly bothering him. He’s wearing a wrap, icing it on the bench, looking uncomfortable at the free-throw line, and even missing floaters. If you’re looking for comfort, know we’ve seen this before. The wrist flares up and sometimes settles back into a more tolerable state. And while he’s limited, he’s still capable of transcendent performance. He’s played through a sprained right wrist before, even in the playoffs.

What’s your concern level about the Nuggets’ disaster third quarter in Game 2?

Mares: I’m more annoyed than I am concerned at the moment. Giving up 40 points in a quarter usually is more about unserious defense and turnovers than it is about ineptitude. The more likely explanation is that the Nuggets lost focus after building a 20-point lead for the second game in a row. But game 3 will reveal the truth about Denver’s PnR defense as the Wolves are much more likely to spread the court and have Anthony Edwards attack downhill. If Denver has another quarter like the 3rd quarter of game 2, then Nuggets fans should start to worry.

Wind: The most concerning aspect of that quarter was that Denver looked like the regular season Nuggets again, and it’s not the most settling thought that they can still slip back into that mode. Anthony Edwards’ 13 points in the quarter is what to spotlight though. Edwards can hurt Denver in this series, especially in the pick-and-roll, and I guarantee getting him in that action and letting him create as much as possible is front and center of Minnesota’s game plan in Game 3. Edwards going off again is the Timberwolves’ best path to victory.

Vogt: We know the Nuggets have that in them. We also know the Wolves, albeit in disarray, were likely to make a strong push at some point in the first two games. Most importantly, Denver bounced back and wrestled control of the game. It might not be the worst thing that they took their eye off the ball early. It was a harsh reminder of how low the floor drops when they let off the pedal. The playoffs will test them — whether it’s in round one or beyond. The Nuggets have to be ready for a bumpy road.