Nuggets finish final preparations ahead of matchup with familiar foe

DENVER—Kentavious Caldwell-Pope will be a full go for the Denver Nuggets second-round series against the Minnesota Timberwolves that starts on Saturday. The two-way guru is coming off a leg injury suffered in Round 1 and now will have the tough task of slowing down budding star Anthony Edwards.

Can KCP slow the 31-point-per-game playoff scorer is one of the many storylines as the Nuggets meet the Wolves for a second straight year in the postseason after the two Northwest Divison foes fought for the West’s top spot all year.

“He’s an amazing player, the combination of athleticism, skill and footwork, but also able to knock down shots, he’s a special blend of tools and athleticism,” Michael Porter Jr. said. “Any great player you don’t guard with one guy, it’s a collective effort and we gotta show him different looks.”

MPJ on playing Anthony Edwards and how Denver will try to slow him down pic.twitter.com/DMAsnsGBIN

— Jake Shapiro (@Shapalicious) May 3, 2024

Porter said he believes Edwards is even better this season than when they met last year when the Nuggets won the first-round series in five games. Also different is defensive stopper Jaden McDaniels and NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year Naz Reid being healthy this season. The two both missed all of last year’s playoffs with injuries.

“We are doing the same work, we prepare just as hard but they become harder to guard. Last year they didn’t have those players,” Michael Malone said. “They have a lot of size and versatility on their roster and Naz and Jaden make them more talented than last year.”

The Nuggets won 57 games this season and the Timberwolves 56, with the teams splitting the regular season series but Denver winning a pivotal Game 80 against Minny which means home-court advantage for this series.

“This year we didn’t play them healthy, this is the first time we’re going to see healthy groups both ways,” Nikola Jokic said. “Everyone was laughing at (Tim Connelly) when he made that trade (for Rudy Gobert.) He made a great team and he deserves credit for doing that and their coaching staff too for making things work. They can do it all, play small, play big, they’re a dangerous team.”

Connelly the former general manager of the Nuggets has been in that position for the Timberwolves for two seasons now. He added soon-to-be three-time Defensive Player of the Year Gobert as his first big splash. Last year the results were rough but the Wolves were never healthy to really get a read. This year, the team has gelled with Connelly’s move and Jokic credits the staff, which is led by former Nuggets assistants Chris Finch and Micah Nori. And the crew of former Nuggets doesn’t stop there, with Connelly’s final touch on this year’s team being a pickup of former Nuggets guard Monte Morris at the deadline.

“I love Monte Morris, he was a big part of what we did here,” Malone said Friday. “Whatever was asked of Monte Morris, he went out there and did weather backing up Jamal (Murray,) playing with Jamal. But more than just the player, Monte is just an outstanding person. Somebody that I stay in touch with, and will always stay in touch with because when you’re with each other and you build these relationships now, you come to love and care about people and that’s how I feel about Tim Connelly, Chris Finch and Micah Nori and Monte Morris, guys that have been here and a big part of that banner that’s hanging up there.”

Malone on the several Wolves that were a big part of the banner hanging up in the rafters at Ball Arena pic.twitter.com/LHRlhWNADk

— Jake Shapiro (@Shapalicious) May 3, 2024