Nikola Jokić and the Nuggets face more than just a brief controversy in Minnesota

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He looked up, down, to the left, to the right, bewildered, frustrated and with utter, you’ve-gotta-be-kidding-me disbelief. The way the Minnesota Timberwolves defense has been this series — so handsy, so brazen, so up-in-your-business — it wouldn’t be shocking to see either Jaden McDaniels, Rudy Gobert or Julius Randle suddenly appear from around the corner holding Jokić’s briefs. Heck, the Timberwolves have stolen everything else from the Nuggets: the series lead, home-court advantage, momentum and a considerable amount of Denver’s pride. It didn’t take long for Jokić to eventually locate his lost item, inconspicuously draped over the closet rod in his locker, but he and the rest of the Nuggets left Minneapolis still searching for answers to explain how Minnesota has taken such a stranglehold of this series. “We’ve put ourselves in a bad spot … we have to show some urgency,’’ Christian Braun said. These are testy times around the Nuggets. The usually affable David Adelman was curt when his team’s competitiveness was questioned after Game 4, Jamal Murray walked out of the locker room without talking to the media, and Jokić was in no mood to provide color to the late-game scuffle that resulted in his and Randle’s ejections. It has left the Nuggets repeating a familiar refrain: They’ve been on the cusp of elimination before, only to bounce back and persevere. But it doesn’t feel the same this time, doesn’t look the same. And outside of Adelman, who has remained steadfast that Denver is oh-so-close to turning the series, it doesn’t sound like many inside the locker room actually believe it. Adelman said that in times like these, “honest conversations” need to take place inside the locker room. It’s what happened in 2020, when the Nuggets twice overcame 3-1 deficits to win series against the Jazz and Clippers, and it’s what happened last season when Denver overcame a 2-1 deficit to beat the Clippers again. “I think it’s just extreme honesty,’’ Adelman said of what he learned from those experiences.”It’s honest conversations … because that’s all you got, the people in (the locker room). There’s a million narratives out there, people write stories, there’s social media, there’s all the crap. But it’s about us in the room, bottom line.’’ So far, the bottom line is that Minnesota has been better. Much better. The defense has been elite, particularly from McDaniels, whose long arms and springy legs haven’t given Murray an inch of daylight. For much of the series, Murray has played with his jersey untucked or ruffled, a result of McDaniels’ intimate approach. Meanwhile, Gobert has flustered and flummoxed Jokić, altering his vaunted floater and frequently poking the ball away as Jokić tries to survey passing lanes. This series, Jokic is averaging 25 points, 14.5 rebounds and 7.8 assists, but he is shooting just 39 percent from the field and has made 5 of 27 from 3-point range. He has also averaged four turnovers a game. “Average,’’ Jokić said when asked to assess his play. Later, when asked what he attributed his mediocre play to, he credited Gobert. “It’s a little bit of everything. You know, I’m not shooting the ball really well, especially from the three, and you know, Rudy is doing a good job with being physical, testing the officials, contesting shots,’’ Jokić said. “You know, he’s a really good defender. And not just him, they play very good …  they’re big, long, tall, handsy, trippy, they’re bumping you, so… I think I answered (your question).’’ And there’s the rub. Adelman is intent on holding onto the notion that the Nuggets will eventually hit shots. They were the NBA’s best in points (122.1 per game), 3-point percentage (39.6) and second in field goal percentage (49.6). But in this series, the Nuggets are shooting 40 percent from the field and 28.5 percent from 3. Some of those misses have been on wide-open looks, but most were taken under duress or from uncomfortable angles. Denver isn’t so much losing this series as much as Minnesota is winning it with its defense. This is a stunning development for a Nuggets team that was constructed to make a deep playoff run after a summer of signings that strengthened its bench and a trade that supposedly would upgrade its efficiency while providing another ball handler. For much of the season, the Nuggets had the look of a title contender. Their depth allowed them to weather injuries to several key players, and the team was playing its best basketball heading into the playoffs, having won 12 in a row and then Game 1. But Jokić has been average, Murray has been inefficient, Aaron Gordon has been limited by injury, Cam Johnson has been non-existent, Braun ineffective and Jonas Valanciunas unplayable because Adelman doesn’t like the matchups. Peyton Watson has yet to play because of injury. What’s more, the confidence and pride with which this team has carried itself since winning the 2023 title appears to have cracked. Gordon, who returned after missing Game 3 and labored through his calf injury for 23 minutes, said the Nuggets were still smarting from their 119-114 Game 2 loss at home, when they lost a 19-point first-half lead, then couldn’t execute free throws or the big shot late. “It’s incredibly frustrating, just dwelling on Game 2,’’ Gordon said. “You know, not taking care of home court. So that’s the hard part about trying to let go, um, and focus on the next game, but knowing that we’ve let opportunities slip.’’ After Gordon left the locker room, Braun, unprompted, also brought up Game 2 when asked what the hardest part was about being down 3-1. “All of it. Just being down 3-1, feeling like you blew Game 2,’’ Braun said. “It was a bad loss for us, but nothing you can do about it now. Gotta win three in a row. Gotta fight back.’’ In the waning seconds of Saturday’s blowout, the Nuggets did show some fight. The most trivial slight of etiquette — McDaniels scoring with 2.1 seconds left to pad an already bloated margin of victory — unhinged the normally carefree Jokić, who confronted the wiry youngster with some Sombor saltiness, kicking off a mini melee. “He scored when everybody had stopped playing,’’ Jokić said. On the sideline near the Minnesota bench, Jokić and Bruce Brown took on much of the Timberwolves, pushing, shoving, and grasping. The melee started on the sideline, then extended onto the court. Jokić and Randle were ejected. There will be intrigue in how the NBA views its rule that players can’t leave the bench during an on-court altercation. Adelman said he was confident no players left the Nuggets bench, but replays show Gordon and Valanciunas did so to join the fray. Many Timberwolves also joined the scrum, as it originated on their sideline. The rule states players must stay within the “immediate vicinity” of the bench or be subject to a one-game suspension. The NBA requires each roster to have nine players for playoff games, so if five or more players are suspended, they can serve their suspensions alphabetically. “Obviously, I didn’t like what McDaniels did,’’ Adelman said. “The game is over. The game was conceded both ways. You know, in 2026, that stuff just doesn’t happen anymore. That’s something that happens in the 80s where teams would continue to score. But that’s who he is, you know? And so if that’s what they want to do, that’s what they want to do. That has nothing to do with the win or the loss. More importantly … no suspensions for us.’’ But Adelman added that there will be conversations, honest conversations, about what has happened in this series, and what’s to come in Monday’s Game 5 in Denver. The Nuggets are in trouble, and unless they figure out how to solve Minnesota’s defense, their stay in these playoffs will be, er … brief. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms