Nikola Jokic Breaks NBA Veteran’s Hopes With Game 3 Victory Over Anthony Edwards’ Wolves

As good as Nikola Jokic and Anthony Edwards are, one of them will eventually head back home from the postseason. While Edwards’ Timberwolves stunned the basketball community after taking the first two games of the Conference Semis in Denver, there was one man who wasn’t surprised; Kendrick Perkins. In fact, he even correctly predicted Minnesota’s success. However, his Nostradamus act was up soon as the Nuggets obliterated the Wolves in the Twin Cities last night to cut the series deficit to 1-2. Something Big Perk wasn’t too fond of.

Notably, Perkins had predicted ahead of Game 3 that the Timberwolves would take a 3-0 lead over Nikola Jokic’s Nuggets. However, after Denver rag-dolled the Wolves, Perk’s dismay was on display. “This game is such a disappointment,” Perkins posted on X much before the game ended. However, this was not it for the 39-year-old as he also expressed his disappointment with his Game 3 predictions made on ‘First Take’.

Perkins re-shared the post that included his predictions and captioned it, “I thought the Wolves had it in them. Imma just Carry my big a** on for the night.” Notably, appearing on ESPN’s ‘First Take’, Perkins had faced the question of his belief in the Wolves sweeping the Nuggets. “Hell yeah, I do… Right when Anthony Edwards speak, I believe him because I trust him… After Game 2, he said in this interview, ‘We know that the Nuggets, they’re the defending champions. They’re gonna come into Game 3 and they’re gonna be punching. But guess what? We punch back.’ And he ain’t lying,” Perkins replied.

He further stated that considering the Timberwolves’ defense, the team is bringing pain to the Nuggets. The 2008 NBA champ’s belief in his predictions was so strong that he claimed Denver had no answer for Minnesota’s defense. “I got the T-wolves finishing it, finishing this off in four. The Denver Nuggets will get swept,” he confidently said on the ‘First Take’. Perkins surely wouldn’t want to bet against the defending champions again, especially after Friday night’s blowout.

What went wrong for the Timberwolves against the Nuggets in Game 3?  

Although there was no one-man spectacle to witness, the Nuggets’ team effort still got the job done. However, it is worth mentioning that Nikola Jokic came close to another triple-double with 24 points, 14 rebounds, and 9 assists in the game. He also had 3 steals and 3 blocks in a masterful display.

Along with Jokic, Michael Porter Jr. and Jamal Murray got 20+ points each, and they received adequate support from Aaron Gordon and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s combined 25 points. The Timberwolves’ defense, even with Rudy Gobert’s return, failed to do much.

Meanwhile, Minnesota failed on the offensive front too, as not even a single player crossed the 20-point mark. In fact, apart from Anthony Edwards, none of the players scored 15 points. While Minnesota lost Game 3 at home, they are still in the driver’s seat and hold the home-court edge over the defending champs. Winning Game 4 will ease a lot of nerves in the Wolves locker room.