Stars Can't Afford Sluggish Start Following Bye Week As They Cling To Slight Playoff Hopes

MINNEAPOLIS — Nuggets coach Michael Malone was involved in a heated interaction with at least one Timberwolves fan near the visiting bench during an NBA playoff game Friday night. Two fans at Target Center were escorted away from the sideline by security during the fourth quarter of Game 3 between the Nuggets and Timberwolves, but Malone said he didn’t ask for anyone to be removed from the arena. “He didn’t like my haircut, and I told him that I like my haircut,” Malone joked.

The Denver Nuggets dominated the Minnesota Timberwolves with a 117-90 win in Game 3 of their second-round NBA playoff series at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota on Friday, May 10, 2024. The Nuggets trail 1-2 in the series. Related Articles Denver Nuggets | Michael Malone on heated interaction with Timberwolves fan: “That happens at times in a hostile environment” Denver Nuggets | Renck: Nuggets guard Jamal Murray embraces villain role, embarrasses Timberwolves in Game 3 blowout Denver Nuggets | Nuggets punch back with clinical Game 3 rout of Timberwolves, narrow series to 2-1 Denver Nuggets | Nuggets 3-Pointers: Jamal Murray as the bad guy is a good thing in Game 3 rout of Timberwolves Denver Nuggets | Monte Morris always knew playoff reunion with Nuggets was possible after trade to Timberwolves: “That’ll be a great story”

MINNEAPOLIS – The face of the Nuggets’ most impressive win of the season wore orange sherbet and raspberry kicks and a black hat. Jamal Murray stepped onto the Target Center court to thunderous boos and embraced the role of the villain. After throwing a towel Monday, Murray refused to throw in the towel Friday. He embarrassed the organization with his actions and his lack of accountability following Game 2.

MINNEAPOLIS — Aaron Gordon made the Timberwolves respect him, Jamal Murray made them fear him, and the Nuggets made them realize mowing through the Western Conference isn’t meant to be easy. The Nuggets have made this a series, for now at least. They still must win Sunday at Target Center to avoid facing three consecutive elimination games, but a clinical 117-90 victory Friday over the Timberwolves closed the gap to 2-1 in the second round of the playoffs.

Initial thoughts from the Nuggets’ Game 3 Western Conference Semifinal win over the Timberwolves: Murray the Bad Guy is a Good Thing: Jamal Murray wanted the smoke more than the Marlboro Man. Booed relentlessly each time he touched the ball, Murray met the moment, embracing the villain role. After serving as a ghost in the first halves of the first two games, Murray erupted for 18 points in the first 24 minutes.

Rangers right-hander Jon Gray and Rockies lefty Austin Gomber engaged in a sensational pitching dual Friday night at Coors Field. But 37-year-old Charlie Blackmon stole the show. The veteran ripped a two-out, two-run double off of right-hander Yerry Rodríguez in the eighth inning to lift the Rockies to a 4-2 victory and give them their first winning streak of the season. By winning two in a row — the Rockies beat the Giants on Thursday — the Rockies snapped a streak of 51 games without consecutive wins (37 games in 2024), the longest stretch in franchise history. Leave it to Blackmon, a franchise icon, to be the difference-maker. “I’m not a big, rah-rah, super-emotion guy, but I do like to come through in big spots and big team situations,” said Blackmon, who had tied the game in the seventh by sprinting from first to home on a shallow popup to center that turned into an error.