FIRST TAKE | Nikola Jokic cooking DPOY Rudy Gobert & Timberwolves - Stephen A. Smith: Nuggets in 6

Denver Nicole Yic and the defending champion Nuggets at home against Anthony Edwards in the Minnesota Timber Wolves series tied at two before the game Yic received his third MVP award, congratulations from the commissioner and was then congratulated by his teammates who adore him in less of seven minutes. they go in the

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Nuggets down to joic 15 to 22 from the field yic gets up for the dunk and the Nuggets cut the Le of two later in the fourth wolves down three Anthony Edwards Edwards five from the field had 18 points and shut up the Denver crowd we are tied at 18 yic tracks the tip ball and gets the floater and won yic with 12 points in the

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quarter lit

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by two after one less than seven minutes to go in the second Aaron Gordon

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s advantage of the loose ball forward for himself, what a play and the Denver crowd loves that hustle in the Nuggets led by two less than four minutes left in the half, still two games left and finds Christian Brown for the dunk, one of the eight assists in the first half for joic less than two.

Minutes pass in the second game four points yic Baseline and somehow he gets that hook shot over Rudy go, who knows a thing or two about playing defense joic 19 points in the first half the third quarter gets two joic behind the back pass to contav is Calwell Pope, who was four or five from three-point range and then left Minnesota Miss joic with a rebound, CT's complete touchdown pass to Jamal Murray Murray was 7-14 from the field with 16 points Denver up 6457 now leads by five later on the court yic working on goar gets the hook again to leave class less than three minutes left in the third joic infinite energy

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LED 8170 after the free throw less than a minute left in the fourth 8372 nuggets yic again no one can stop he gets the float to go 35 points 12 assists in three quarters scored or assisted on 26 of the Nuggets 38 points in the third quarter the nuggets lead by 4 after three first quarters nuggets up 16 Murray with a steal and this time the favorite returns and he does not fail from there 37 points for joic Denver leads 9880 and then the step back buries the three 40 points 13 assists and not a single turnover for yic the Nuggets bench can't believe it oh yeah, they can Denver up 3-2 In this series, they play better than us right now, they play, they outplay us, they are tougher than us, making all the balls You let go, everything goes your way, yeah, you know, they got the momentum, man, we gotta find a way. to change it back our way, I think everyone knows it's not the first to three wins, it's the first to four, just like when we won two, we won the first two wins, it was the first to four, so they won three in a row now we have Try to win the sixth game in um on our home court and try to come back here again in Sports Center.

Here's Nia Yic. Honestly, what were you saying after the first two games of the Nuggets Timber Wolv series? It didn't look good. He was thinking that the Timber wvs had enough bodies and enough different looks that they could throw at the Joker, where they could offset everything he was capable of and shut him down a little bit or slow him down. He was clearly wrong. I have the defensive play of the year in Rudy Gober, they have two other big bodies and the cities of Nas Reed and Carl Anthony, nothing is working, is there any adjustment they can make?

I don't think there's anything they can do. I think one thing you can do is let the Joker get his way and try to

take

away the X-factors. Once again, Aaron Gordon had a great game. Jamal Murray had double figures. Kcp had double figures so you may have to defend yourself. you say Okay, Joker is going to get his way, how can we eliminate these X factors and prevent everyone else from being effective at scoring? Well, Minnesota, uh, playing for their season now, after it looked like they had complete control of this Thursday Series Six game in Minnesota UD great, you got it here, man, thanks Stan, what happened was the show favorite receipts, yeah, oh the tap tape is always rolling big time, yeah listen, it was so bad this weekend that I started NBA Countdown on ABC TV, hiding under the table, that's how it was bad, let me tell you something right now, man, you gotta be a man.

I owe an apology to the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets, and I apologize on National Television. I'm GNA, I say it again. I don't have a damn. What I have to say, let me tell you something. I was shocked by what I saw, I mean, they came to Minnesota, they came to those Twin Cities and they're like and who, who, who, are you sure it's not the Ant Man movie I'm talking about the third game I'm not talking about the fourth game , it sure isn't the movie you were talking about, why are you acting like this brother is the champion, we, the champions.

Okay, Jamal Murray making noise for everyone. Wrong reasons for the first time in his career showed up and he said, "Everyone's paying attention to the wrong things. Let me show you what to pay attention to and he went out and went to live, you know what? In that first half, okay, a three ". The former league MVP was now playing like one and the four-time league Defensive Player of the Year looked like he didn't even belong with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Rudy Gober. I can't say enough about it and listen, I'm not putting myself ahead of anyone, but we know who the hell Mike Malone was talking about when he was talking about The Pain's bulletin board material.

There's no one out there. I was the only damn fool that came out and I thought they were going to I can't believe how Denver responded because my Anthony Edwards blew up in games one and two, that wasn't it for me, we've seen it before colle. I haven't seen the defense Minnesota played in the second game of that first half. I hadn't seen the defense played. So it is so. the first one, that game, that defense in the first half, a game two, mhm, I haven't seen a defense played like that in 30 years, right, I haven't seen it and I thought it was like they could. "They don't let go, they can't shake them, they can't, they're too tall, they're too physical and then Den said, 'No, we're going to show you who we are and they've done it.' I don't say enough, but I've got to back off and just give up." tribute and apologize on National Television to the reigning defending NBA champions who reminded us who they are.

I just have to do that, but look, look, joic, he seemed to be fighting his rhythm, he figured it out, he was very efficient and last night. you only got five points from Michael Porter Jr., you know, one game a series, you know, Aaron Gordon is going to shoot up, he's going to look like a guy who should be an Allstar, he came out last night, he just missed one shot and started the game 10 of 10. Remember that third game against the Lakers on the road? He's 29 and 14. We know he can have games like that, at least one of those games, but what happens when Porter Jr shoots the light side of the ball to go with yoke. soz you know yoke do you know what he's going to give you?

I'm surprised he hasn't really had a big double double game in a win, the only triple double he's had was a loss, but if you look at all the other games, he's had about seven, eight rebounds, uh, seven assists, but they're doing a great job of not letting it involve everyone else except Aaron Gordon somehow. I found a way to get involved last night and that's going to be disturbing and worrying for the timber wolf, let me tell you why you have to give Aaron Gordon all the credit in the world, believe it or not, it's not just because of the 11 for 12 shots Field Mike Malone pointed this out, guard defense, Anthony, yeah, sure, and then last but not least, and then last but not least, what about the fact that in the second game we saw Jamal Murray getting chased like hell against that Minnesota defense, so what?

Did Mike Malone have Aaron Gordon take the ball up the court, you know, past half court to get the owners off the shoulders of Jamal Murray, which obviously allowed them to start their offense faster and freed up Jamal Murray to be that shooter? guard that we know could be so Aaron Gordon was also instrumental in that regard. I don't think this series is over obviously game five is pivotal, make no mistake about it and Anthony Edwards I think he's going to show up and can call. Anthony Town comes in, that's the thing and it's not just time for Finch and his team to make adjustments.

Are you going to continue playing with Rudy? Because Rudy is in the PO. Rudy is going in the regular season. It's not Rudy. Go to the postseason. Defensively he is the defensive player of the year in the regular season in a postseason. It's not that you have to make an adjustment. His best defensive performance was when he was in the hospital with his fiancé and then they gave birth to the children. Think about what I just said said by did you hear what this man said this man said defensive player of the year four times four times yes he tied the record with Kim Mumbo and Ben Wallace that's true you have to limit his play in the playoffs TRUE? ready for this, are you ready for this?

Wait, wait, for one more point. You know why I can say you know what makes it bad. That's exactly the complaint Donovan Mitchell and Utah had when Rudy Go was in Utah. They just said. When it comes time for the playoffs, it's a defensive problem because he can't get away from the basket and do it, but it's very problematic and in this case you still had joy pushing him in the second half BR and you were pushing him to give it to him. go ahead, benefit, I said, I said, I said this from the beginning, get up, he's the only player who goes from being a defensive player of the year in the regular season to a defensive liability in the postseason and that has to come from within, you're 73, okay?

You're supposed to be the best rim protector. I just want to see you fight with yic, not a physical fight. I want to see you make it difficult for him. He limited the catches of him. Knowing him early, things are of that nature. a guy who was a later defender. I'm looking at some little things that are supposed to be done. In fact, I'll keep it simple. Do what Aaron Gordon has been doing to call Anthony Towns. He tries to do that to her. Aaron Gordon has done the exceptional job of getting the car into Anthony Towns' office location and having him take 10 to 15 foot jump hooks question for you, benefit and all seriously, I'm not debating you the great man, not me, yic is so special.

I watch his footwork. I observe the contact. he doesn't create the contact he absorbs the contact he creates and if you go back and replay that

rudy

footage go fending off joic look at

rudy

go just FL because yic is just moving him just moving him you know he's fine , I can. I don't jump, but a lot, but guess what I have this body control, I have this footwork, I have this basketball IQ at this level, look, look at this, look at that, just, and I made sure that before I jumped with the opposite foot simply leans. him just a little bit, I keep telling you I keep mentioning Tyson Fury right when he fought Deontay Wilder, right, because that weight, that girth, that just that big man, old man, he just leans on you, that's what you do , have. to get to a point where you're looking at Rudy, he goes and asks if he's helpless, yeah, he's helpless because he doesn't give you anything because he doesn't give you anything.