The Timberwolves are back at Ball Arena tonight with a chance to even their first-round playoff series against the Nuggets after Denver won Game 1, 116-105, on Saturday. Game 2 is set for 9:45 p.m. ET, and Minnesota knows it has to be sharper after a second half that left it with too many problems in Denver.
It is the third time in four seasons the teams have met in the postseason, a familiar matchup that has already opened with the Nuggets taking control. The game will be televised by NBC on Ch. 11, with Michael Grady on the Timberwolves’ TV call. Fans can also follow along on KTLK at 1130 AM and 103.5 FM, on the iHeart app and on the Timberwolves app, where Alan Horton and Jim Petersen will handle the radio broadcast.
Chris Hine, the Timberwolves reporter at the Minnesota Star Tribune, said Minnesota had many problems in the second half of Game 1, and that is the part of the loss the Wolves have to fix tonight. Chris Finch put the frustration more bluntly after the opener, saying, “Maybe we gotta start flopping,” a comment that captured how hard Denver made the game on both ends.
The matchup has already become a familiar one for both teams, but this one matters now because Minnesota has to answer immediately or head home facing a 2-0 deficit. If the Wolves cannot clean up the breakdowns that showed up on Saturday, the Nuggets will be in full control of the series before it shifts again.
