The Nuggets proved against the Timberwolves that they can flip the switch

There wasn’t much celebrating in the Nuggets’ locker room after their Game 5 win.

Following Denver’s 112-109 series-clinching win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, Michael Malone addressed his team as he typically does after most victories. But this one was a little different.

“Winning a series is not fucking easy,” he said.

Malone applauded his team for finding a way to win a close-out Game 5, even though their shots weren’t falling. He reminded his players that when the Nuggets win the rebounding battle — like they again did Tuesday — they win the game. The Nuggets are now 4-0 this postseason when they out-rebound their opponent. He presented Nikola Jokic the Defensive Player of the Game chain for how active and engaged he was playing at the level of the ball in pick-and-rolls.

Finally, Jamal Murray presented Malone with the game ball in honor of his 25th playoff win as Nuggets coach, which moved Malone past Doug Moe for most postseason wins in franchise history.

12 steps from history. #StepUpTime

Denver advances to the second round. pic.twitter.com/VxFhjS4YmW

— DNVR Nuggets (@DNVR_Nuggets) April 26, 2023

It was a locker room that was satisfied that they finished the job. Tuesday’s clincher wasn’t the sexiest performance, but the Nuggets were able to beat the Timberwolves in five games — it’s the first time in the Jokic/Malone era that Denver won a playoff series in fewer than six. They closed out the series quickly, as a No. 1 seed is expected to. The Nuggets won both games at home. They won the series at home. They played well at times, but Denver knows it still has a long way to go to reach its ceiling.

The Nuggets proved something to themselves in this series, though. And it’s something that I believe many people around this team had their doubts about heading into the playoffs.

“I think defensively, we proved to ourselves what we’re capable of,” Jeff Green said.

The Nuggets averaged a 109.6 Defensive Rating in five games against the Timberwolves That mark currently ranks as the fifth-best playoff defense in the league. Minnesota isn’t an offensive juggernaut by any means and this is a series where Denver should have posted good defensive numbers. But the thing is the Nuggets did. They flipped the switch from the regular season.

Denver held Minnesota to 80 points in Game 1. The most points the Nuggets allowed in the series was 114, which came in a overtime game and Denver’s Game 4 loss. They did what the series’ job description said they’d have to do.

“We relied on our defense this series,” said Green.

The Nuggets will have to play better on both ends of the floor in Round 2 against the Suns. From conversations with people around the team, I think the Nuggets like the matchup. They won’t be scared or intimidated by Phoenix. I can guarantee you that.

“This series exposed some of our weak points and magnified some of our lapses,” Aaron Gordon said. “That has given us the ability to take a step back and try and grow our weaknesses into strengths.”

🃏 pic.twitter.com/idGbiwZq18

— RG 📷 (@RyanGreeneDNVR) April 26, 2023

Here are a couple more takeaways from this series:

Jamal Murray is in fact a playoff riser

Murray just averaged 27.2 points across five games after posting only 20 points per game this regular season. He had point totals of 24, 40, 18, 19 and 35. By the end of Game 5, he and the Nuggets had solved the Nickeil Alexander-Walker problem. Murray took big shot after big shot without any hesitation throughout.

“He was our best player this series,” Jokic said postgame.

Personally, I’d disagree. I think Jokic was again the Nuggets’ best player but Murray was more spectacular. In the end, he brought Denver home.

Nikola Jokic can still dominate playoff games with his scoring

Jokic didn’t have his best series. I’d thought he’d play better, to be honest. Still, he had a monster 43-point performance in the Nuggets’ Game 4 loss — I think there’s a theory to be made that the 40+ point nights from Jokic in the playoffs are actually a tell that the Nuggets’ team offense isn’t operating at a healthy level and that Denver’s at its best when he’s scoring 20-30.

But I just didn’t think he was as crisp as I expected him to be. Jokic did average 26.2 points, 12.4 rebounds, and 9 assists against Minnesota but shot under 50% from the field in a series for only the third time in his career (2019 vs. Spurs, 2021 vs. Suns).

Michael Malone pressed the right buttons

I thought Malone coached a great series. His biggest move was trimming his bench rotation to three guys — Bruce Brown, Christian Braun and Jeff Green — and the Nuggets somehow found a way to outscore the Timberwolves by 28 points with Jokic off the floor. You can make the case that Denver winning the bench minutes was the most significant X-factor in the Nuggets winning the series.

One lineup I do want to see next series: Michael Porter Jr. at power forward, and I wonder if it’s something the Nuggets are saving for when they really need it. Denver played him at power forward for a couple of possessions in this series but I hope we see it more against Phoenix.

I’d expect Malone to play the same three players (Brown, Braun, Green) off the bench in Round 2. If a Gordon-Green second-unit front line can handle Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert, they’ll have a fair shot against the Suns’ bench. Game 1 is Saturday at Ball Arena.