A few days ago, the Denver Nuggets looked finished.

Minnesota had pushed the series to 3-1 after back-to-back 15+ point wins, and it didn't feel fluky. It felt like the Timberwolves had grabbed Denver by the jersey and dragged them into a game the Nuggets didn't want to play. Every possession was physical. Every run Denver tried to make seemed to die before it really started.

And the biggest surprise of all: Nikola Jokic looked genuinely bothered.

You don't get to say that often. Jokic usually turns elite defenses into guessing games. Bring help, and he'll pick it apart. Stay home, and he'll score anyway. He'd just come off a 40/8/13 game and a 30/20 game against the unanimous Defensive Player of the Year, Victor Wembanyama.

But this matchup has felt different.

Rudy Gobert hasn't needed to dominate it. He's just made everything harder. Jokic's catches haven't been as clean. His late-game looks haven't come as easy. Denver's offense has spent long stretches searching for answers instead of dictating the terms.

And when the Nuggets stop controlling the game, they suddenly look a lot more vulnerable.

Gobert Has Changed The Series

Game 4 was probably the clearest example of everything that's gone wrong for Denver in this matchup. Jokic finished with 24 points, 15 rebounds, and nine assists, which would be a monster line for most players. For him, in a game like that, it felt strangely empty. He shot 8-of-22 from the field, missed all three of his threes, and didn't make a shot from the floor in the fourth quarter. Denver as a team shot just 38% overall and 21% from deep.

That's usually the tell right there. When Jokic puts up numbers and it still feels like he never really controlled the game, something's off. Credit Minnesota for that. They've crowded the paint and turned Denver possessions into work instead of flow. Against a Wolves team built to make every miss feel heavier than the last, those cold stretches can snowball fast.

So yeah, Minnesota had every reason to feel like it had this thing nearly wrapped up.

Then Anthony Edwards went down.

That changes the entire conversation. Edwards is expected to miss at the very least a week, and likely even more, with a hyperextended left knee and bone bruise after landing awkwardly in Game 4. The good news for Minnesota is that the knee reportedly avoided structural damage. The bad news is that "week-to-week" can be a death sentence this time of year.

And it's not just Ant. Donte DiVincenzo also went down with a torn Achilles, which means Minnesota lost two starting-caliber guards in the same game. That's the kind of swing that can take a series that looked just about finished and suddenly make everyone stop and ask the same question: can Denver pull off the comeback?

The Door Is Suddenly Open

Because as rough as this series has been for Denver, the opening is very real now.

The Nuggets only need to handle business once at home to put real pressure back on Minnesota. Win Game 5, and the whole mood changes. Suddenly this heads back to Minneapolis with the Wolves trying to close out Jokic without their best player, without one of their best shooters, and with Ayo Dosunmu needing to prove that 43-point Game 4 wasn't just one hot night.

That doesn't mean Denver is safe. It doesn't even mean Denver should be favored to pull this off. Down 3-1 is still down 3-1, and Minnesota's defense didn't go down with Edwards. Gobert is still there protecting everything. Jaden McDaniels is still there making life annoying on the perimeter. Naz Reid can still swing a quarter. Julius Randle can still muscle his way into enough offense to keep things afloat.

But the Wolves are going to have to work a lot harder for this last one.

Before the injury, Denver needed something close to a basketball miracle. Now, they need Jokic and Jamal Murray to finally look like Jokic and Jamal Murray for three straight games. That's still a huge ask with the way Gobert has bothered Jokic and the way Minnesota has owned the paint for stretches. But crazy? No. Not anymore.

The Nuggets have been outplayed, out-toughed, and honestly out-executed for just about every minute of this series. Jokic has looked human by his standards. Denver's offense has looked stuck. The frustration has shown too, with the altercation late in Game 4 feeling like a snapshot of a team searching for answers.

And yet, they're still alive.

Can Minnesota find one more win before Denver wakes up?

Because if Jokic breaks through, if Murray finally gets loose, and if the Wolves start to feel the full weight of life without Ant, this thing could turn a lot faster than anyone expected.

All stats courtesy of NBA.com.

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