“Kicks Our A** Every Time”: Michael Malone Reveals Wolves’ X-factor Against Nuggets and It’s Not Anthony Edwards

Michael Malone discovered the hidden threat from the Minnesota Timberwolves lineup. While one may expect the Denver Nuggets coach to address Anthony Edwards as his threat, he had a unique response. After a dominant victory against the Wolves in the 2023 playoff series, The Mile-High City team has an entirely different side in front of them. Despite Ant-Man‘s back-to-back 40-pointer, Malone seemed more worried about the 36-year-old Mike Conley Jr and certain ‘discipline breakdowns’.

Ahead of Game 2, Malone dived deeper into the trouble the veteran point guard would bring to the table. He said, “Too many discipline breakdowns. You can’t go under Mike Conley (on screens). There’s a reason Mike Conley kicks our a** every time we play him… You go under Mike Conley screens, it’s going to be a dribble left 3. And we did that too often.” Malone also made a remark that he himself deemed ‘strange’ about Edwards.

Speaking of Edwards, he said, “This may sound strange, but he’s going to get his,” stressing on the Nuggets’ job to stop the rest of the offense. The Nuggets faced the Wolves four times in the regular season and have a 2-2 record.

During these games, the Wolves have managed to win whenever Mike Conley managed to record a field goal percentage above 60%. In Game 1, the veteran baller went 5-8 FG and dropped 14 points. Out of which, 11 points came in the third quarter alone.

Along with Conley Jr., Karl-Anthony Towns also dropped 11 points in the third quarter, leaving the Nuggets to struggle for buckets. As Malone revealed Anthony Edwards would make his buckets, no matter the counter plans drawn against him. The coach instead wanted to stop the remaining roster.

However, speaking of Conley’s prowess, Ant-Man has gone on to praise Conley publicly for his expansive shots and shooting ability multiple times. Once mesmerized with his reel-worthy move, Edwards hailed the veteran in an interview. So, the bottom line is Conley could also break out from the counter plans drawn against him.

How can the Denver Nuggets win Game 2?

The defending champions clinched the series against the LA Lakers with a 4-1 record. As dominant as the series record seems, the LA side fought really hard and lost two of the games in the final possession. It was Jamal Murray, who showcased his brilliance when it was required. In Game 1 against the Wolves, the Game was evenly poised till the first half where the Nuggets had a four-point lead.

But in the second half, it was the Wolves bench that turned up the heat and took the game away from the Nuggets. Naz Reid played a huge part, dropping 16 points with 7-11 FG. In total, the Wolves bench outscored the Nuggets by 8 points. On top of it, the two guards, Murray and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had an off night and couldn’t make much dent in the scoreboard, dropping 23 points together.

On the other end, the Wolves’ guards, Ant-Man and Conley, dropped 57 points together along with the explosive efforts from two big men, Towns and Gobert. The Nuggets have a lot to work on in Game 2. Will they come out on top and level the series? Let us know in the comments below.