How Nikola Jokic triple-double, Jamal Murray free-throw outburst led Nuggets to Game 1 win over Timberwolves

But as the action picked up, Jokic did what he does best, leading the Nuggets' offense to a big third quarter (29-17) and packing a punch in the stat sheet as he did so.

Even with his slow start, Jokic wound up with a triple-double, the 22nd of his career in the playoffs. He had three in the Nuggets' 2024-25 run, two in 2023-24, and a whopping 10 triple-doubles on Denver's title run in 2022-23.

After leading the NBA in assists this season, Jokic picked up where he left off with 11.

He began heating up toward the end of the first half after Rudy Gobert Minnesota slowed him down in the early minutes.

With the Timberwolves hanging around in the fourth quarter, Jokic began to put the ball in the basket more — he had an and-one floater, then an easy tip-in to fire up the Denver crowd, and the Nuggets began coasting to a win.

Things got heated between Jokic and the Timberwolves on multiple occasions, including a skirmish with Jaden McDaniels. But the star center got the best of Minnesota in Game 1.

SN AWARDS:Victor Wembanyama Player of the Year | Joe Mazzulla Coach of the Year

Jamal Murray stats today

• **Points:**30
• **Rebounds:**5
• **Assists:**7
• **Steals:**0
• **Blocks:**0
• **FG:**7-22
• **3PT:**0-8
• **FT:**16-16

When Jokic was having a slow first half by his standards, Murray was picking up the slack offensively. The guard, with plenty of elite playoff performances to his name despite his NBA resume not being too extensive, was getting to the line at a historic rate — Murray set a new-career high with 16 trips to the line.

He made all 16 free throws, more than the entire Timberwolves team combined (14), offsetting a game in which he missed all eight of his 3-point attempts.

Even with his shot from deep being off, Murray's craftiness around the rim was on full display.

For the 20th time in his playoff career, Murray reached 30 points. He combined for 55 points alongside Jokic, with the Nuggets taking early command of the first-round series.

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