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The Denver Nuggets completed the gentlemen’s sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers. Game 5 was much of the same the first half, with the Nuggets trailing 50-53. Instead of the Nuggets making a big 3rd quarter run, taking a lead, and not looking back. this was a back in forth affair.

In clutch time, Aaron Gordon grabbed an offensive rebound, reminiscent of game 2, and passed the ball to a wide open Jamal Murray who drilled a 3-pointer. In my opinion, Gordon’s offensive rebound is the most critical play of the game. Of course Murray’s mid-range game winning shot over Austin Reaves will take the spotlight. Nikola Jokic was consistently awesome, and now leads all of the playoffs in points, rebounds, and assists. A huge shoutout for Michael Porter Jr., he has been the 2nd best player on the Nuggets this series and without him this series would look drastically different. It was critical for the Nuggets to close out this series last night, they need the rest and rehab injuries in preparation for the western conference semifinals.

Now the Nuggets will face off against the Minnesota Timberwolves, who swept the Suns easily the previous night. Anthony Edwards is striving for super star status, racking up highlights and post-game sound bites. Beyond that, the Timberwolves are a well built team, and this game will be a test for both teams.

The Wolves feature a starting lineup of Anthony Edwards, Karl-Anthony Towns, Rudy Gobert, Mike Conley, and Jaden McDaniels. This is a big team who plays stout defense. The Nuggets matchup evenly against the Wolves, and this series will be decided on which team plays smarter, minimizes turnovers, and comes up clutch in key moments. The Nuggets are already battle tested with their series against the Lakers, the Wolves faced little to no resistance against the Suns. I believe Nuggets will win this series in 6 games.