David Adelman points to glaring issue that sank Nuggets in Game 2 vs. Timberwolves

The Denver Nuggets have no one else to blame but themselves after their loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 2 of their first-round series in the playoffs at Ball Arena on Monday.

The Nuggets allowed the Timberwolves to rally from a 19-point deficit to escape with the victory, 119-114, and tie their best-of-seven face-off at 1-1.

Minnesota shot 48% from the field, including 14-of-34 from three-point territory.

In the postgame conference, Denver coach David Adelman knew exactly what went wrong, as reported by AltitudeTV’s Vic Lombardi.

“We lost the game on second-chance points. It kept them in the game,” said Adelman.

The Timberwolves, who earned praise on social media, had a 17-point advantage in second-chance points, 20-3. They only had four more offensive rebounds than the Nuggets, 9-5.

After going off for 23 points in the first half, Jamal Murray cooled off after the break, adding only seven points. He made one basket in the fourth quarter.

Nikola Jokic had 24 points, 15 rebounds, and eight assists. Christian Braun and Tim Hardaway Jr. chipped in 16 points apiece.

The Nuggets were outhustled in the second half, as the Timberwolves battled for extra possessions, went after 50-50 balls, and locked down on defense. They snapped Denver’s 13-game winning streak dating to the regular season.

The Nuggets blew the chance to take a 2-0 lead. They are 8-0 when winning the first two games of a series in the playoffs.

Before the game, Adelman fired back at the notion that they were awarded too many free throws in Game 1. Both teams had 30 attempts from the charity stripe in Game 2.

Game 3 shifts to Target Center on Thursday.

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