It takes a lot to win road games in the NBA playoffs. One of the prerequisites is playing well in more than just one quarter.
The Minnesota Timberwolves battled their way back from a 15-point halftime deficit with a 40-23 third quarter Wednesday night against the Denver Nuggets, entering the final frame with a two-point lead. The reason they lost 122-113 and fell into a 2-0 hole? Denver won the other three quarters a whopping 99-73.
The Wolves found themselves in that halftime hole because of fundamental shortcomings. Call them effort breakdowns, call them basic responsibilities; whatever term you use, the Wolves didn’t do much of anything resembling an NBA basketball team in the first half of Game 2, much less a playoff team.