DENVER — With about 30 seconds left, reality began to set in and Nikola Jokic began congratulating the Minnesota Timberwolves players.
In the span of 22 minutes, the Denver Nuggets' quest to repeat as champions disintegrated in stunning fashion. The Nuggets blew a 20-point third-quarter lead on their own court to lose 98-90 in Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals.
The way they lost, blowing a 58-38 lead from the 10:50 mark in the third quarter, left the reigning champions shocked and incredibly frustrated. It was the biggest blown lead in a Game 7 in the last 25 years.
“The season is over,” a frustrated Michael Malone said in his press conference as Wolves players could be heard roaring in celebration in their locker room next door through the wall.
The suddenness of the end of the Nuggets' repeat streak had yet to sink in.
“That's the hard thing,” Malone said when asked what went wrong. “F— being above 20. The season is over. It's difficult.”
After losing the first two games of the series at home, Denver won the next three games and appeared to have returned to its championship level. But the Nuggets blew two chances to advance to their third Western Conference final in five postseasons, both in shocking fashion. They were annihilated in Game 6 in Minnesota by 45 points.
And then came the second half of Sunday. Up by 20 after Jamal Murray hit a 3-pointer, the Nuggets saw the Timberwolves go on a 54-24 run. When that streak ended, Minnesota was up 92-82 with 3:07 left, deflating a raucous Ball Arena.
Jokic, a three-time MVP, finished with 34 points, 19 rebounds and 7 assists, but missed 8 of 10 shots from behind the arc. Murray scored 24 of his 35 points in the first half, but was just 4 of 12 from 3-point range.
The Nuggets' two big stars didn't get much help. Michael Porter Jr. missed 9 of 12 shots and scored 7 points, while Aaron Gordon, who had been fantastic during this series in the Nuggets' three consecutive wins, finished with 4 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists.
While Nuggets like Murray and Christian Braun said they believed Denver should have won and advanced, Jokic said the Wolves were designed to beat them.
Tim Connelly built the Nuggets into a championship contender as the franchise's longtime president of basketball operations. Minnesota signed Connelly in 2022, and he proceeded to trade for players like Rudy Gobert to put together a group that seemed perfect to stop Denver.
In the second half, Jokic had to battle Minnesota's big-man trio of Gobert, Karl-Anthony Towns and Naz Reid, while the Nuggets had to try to contain Anthony Edwards on defense.
“I mean, I think they're built to beat us,” Jokic said. “Just look at their roster. They have basically two All-Stars, two probably two first-team defensive players. Mike Conley is probably the most underrated player in the NBA.
“From the bench, they have a Sixth Man of the Year… [They are] a team that can do literally everything. They can be big, small.”
When Connelly was asked in the hallway near the Nuggets locker room about his plan to eliminate the champions, the Wolves president of basketball operations was humble.
“It's called luck, man,” Connelly said.
Before the Nuggets began an offseason much earlier than expected, they reflected on how difficult it was to defend a championship.
“Just mentally and physically, gathering the energy to fight like you're being chased,” Murray said. “I think that's the thrill. When you're the hunter, you have a lot more motivation and you'll stick to anything to prove everyone wrong and you have a constant resentment on your shoulder.
“I don't know… I feel like we should have won tonight. That's the hard part. They beat us, but we had a lot of great opportunities, including me, so it's just tough, man.”
Jokic said that with all the talent in the NBA today, a team needs to “be basically perfect to win the championship.”
Malone said he knew how difficult it would have been for the Nuggets to repeat after playing until June of last season and then playing their core players until the final game of this regular season to secure second place in the West.
“This is just a momentary delay,” Malone said. “It's a failure, it's not fatal. We'll be back.”
“The best team won, so I don't take anything away from Minnesota… but mentally, emotionally and physically, I think the guys are exhausted. They're very tired. They gave me everything I could ask for, and that's why By far It hurts, I will leave this building tonight with my head held high.
