Rudy Gobert was out.
And Minnesota’s defense was suffocating.
Anthony Edwards had four first quarter points.
And the Timberwolves ended it with an eight-point lead.
The Nuggets are the defending champs led by the presumptive MVP.
And faced with playoff-level physicality, they crumbled.
Minnesota 106, Denver 80.
And, really–it wasn’t that close.
This wasn’t a game. It was a message. This was George Foreman-Joe Frazier. Mike Tyson-Trevor Berbick. Rocky Balboa-Clubber Lang. A Denver team has not taken this kind of bludgeoning since the Broncos spotted the Dolphins 70 points last fall.