Big clap for champion
Catastrophic nuggets throw out the lights
May 17, 2024, 6:58 a.m
A very weak hit rate will be the reigning NBA champion’s downfall. The Denver Nuggets miss an early entry into the Western Conference finals – now the final game against the Timberwolves decides. Anthony Edwards is the standout man.
Defending champion Denver Nuggets missed an early entry into the semifinals of the NBA playoffs. The team around three-time MVP Nikola Jokić clearly lost the sixth game of the best-of-seven series at the Minnesota Timberwolves 70:115 and conceded the equalizer to make it 3:3. The decision about a place in the Western Conference finals will be made in the seventh game on Sunday in Denver.
The Nuggets suffered a catastrophic shooting rate in Minneapolis. Just over 30 percent of attempts from the field ended up in the basket, and from the three-point line the rate was only a shocking 19.4 percent. Given this yield, the Timberwolves had an easy time of it. For the hosts, Anthony Edwards was once again the outstanding player with 27 points, while for the Nuggets, 22 points from Jokic were far from enough. The winner of this series will face either the Dallas Mavericks around German Maximilian Kleber or the Oklahoma City Thunder in the West final. The Mavericks lead 3-2 heading into game six on Saturday in Dallas.
The Boston Celtics are already safely in the semi-finals. The record champions defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 113:98 on Thursday and won the series 4:1. As the best team in the regular season, Boston is considered a hot championship contender. Jayson Tatum with 25 and Al Harford with 22 points scored the most points for the Celtics, who will now face the winner of the game between New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers (score 3:2) in the Conference Finals. Boston is in the East final for the third time in a row.