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The Denver Nuggets fell 113-96 to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday night at Target Center, with the Western Conference first-round series shifting further in Minnesota’s favor. Jamal Murray pointed directly to the opening period as the turning point.
“Yeah, it was tough. Nobody on the team is making shots, including myself,” Murray said, reflecting on Denver’s offensive struggles.
He emphasized the early gap in tempo and execution. “I just think the first quarter we got to have a better start to the game and set ourselves down on the road, because they played with a lot of adrenaline.”
Minnesota built control quickly, and Murray admitted Denver never fully recovered. “We got to start better so we have a chance to set our defense. We’re already down 15 at that point.”
The Nuggets guard described how the Wolves dictated pace once ahead. “We got to bring a stronger mentality to the first quarter, understand their tendencies and know them, talk more in coverages.”
Physicality was another focal point in his assessment of Denver’s offense. “Screen setting, catching the ball lower on the floor, offensive rebounding, getting to our sets maybe a little quicker,” Murray said. “We just kind of let them move the way they wanted to.”
He also referenced Aaron Gordon’s absence without shifting focus away from responsibility. “Next man up. We’ve been dealing with it all year. It’s something we’ve been dealing with all year. It’s not great, but it is what it is.”
Despite the loss, Murray stressed belief in the group’s ability to respond. “Just belief. I think that’s the main one,” he said. “When we come together and really take it possession by possession or game by game, whatever the situation is, we normally get the job done.”
The guard returned again to Denver’s recurring issue in Game 3. “First quarter, we got to come up better. Got to play with more physicality. We got to shoot better. We got to bring the fight to them.”
He also pointed to communication and composure as key adjustments. “We just got to believe in each other. Calm down on offense, bring a stronger mentality to the first quarter.”
Individually, Murray acknowledged his own inefficiency. “I just got to make some shots. I missed some easy shots today,” he said. “It is what it is. We just have to have a better tempo for next game.”
He added that Denver’s focus must remain internal despite Minnesota’s defensive attention on Nikola Jokic. “That was an outlier type of game from everybody,” Murray said. “We just got to come back with a better defensive mindset and be ready to go from the jump.”
