Wintry mix spreads across Minnesota

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The Denver Nuggets are poised for a long run this spring, the league's best shooting team with a clean bill of health that boasts, of course, the two-time reigning NBA MVP.

Their depth is right up there on that asset list, too, as the Minnesota Timberwolves have been reminded during this so-far lopsided first-round 

“It’s been a different guy’s night every night, so I think really we’ve just been very spread out,” said Michael Porter Jr. “Everyone’s doing their job, so it’s definitely not a one-man effort out there.”

When Nikola Jokic picked up his fourth foul with 5:51 left in the third quarter of the 

 at Minnesota, Bruce Brown and Jeff Green entered the game and helped make sure Denver stayed in control.

The three reserves in the rotation — Brown, Green and rookie Christian Braun — combined for 32 points. Jokic and standout point guard Jamal Murray were again complemented well by their fellow starters, with 25 points and nine rebounds from Porter, 14 points and smothering defense on Karl-Anthony Towns by Aaron Gordon and a hot-shooting second quarter by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.

“The non-Nikola minutes were always a question mark. Three games now, I think the non-Nikola minutes have been outstanding for us,” coach Mike Malone said. “Everybody’s contributing, and for us to do what we’re talking about doing, you need everybody.”

The Nuggets have never been to the finals since entering the NBA in the 1976-77 season. They made the Western Conference Finals three years ago in the pandemic bubble in Florida.

Denver can be the first Western Conference team to reach the second round with a win Sunday at Minnesota in Game 4.

“We give them so much respect and we know that they are dangerous, and we don’t want to let them play freely,” Jokic said. “I think the focus that the guys have and the discipline, it’s off the charts, and that’s why we’re up 3-0.”

Nuggets lead 3-0. Game 4, 9:30 p.m. EDT, TNT.

Sacramento leads 2-1. Game 3, 3:30 p.m. EDT, ABC.

Celtics lead 2-1. Game 4, 7 p.m. EDT, TNT.

Knicks lead 2-1. Game 4, 1 p.m. EDT, ABC.

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The Denver Nuggets are the league’s best shooting team with a clean bill of health and the two-time reigning NBA MVP in Nikola Jokic. Their depth is right up there on that asset list, too, as the Minnesota Timberwolves have been reminded during this so-far lopsided first-round series.

Nuggets eye sweep, with dominance of T-wolves running deep

Go Deeper.

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