Jokic cautious of 'dangerous' Wolves squad

Dangerous is the word that Nuggets star Nikola Jokic used multiple times Friday when talking about the Timberwolves.

Minnesota and the Nuggets square off in round two of the Western Conference playoffs, with Game 1 set for Saturday evening in Denver. The highly anticipated matchup is a rematch of last year's first-round series between the sides, one that the Nuggets won three-game-to-one.

The two sides faced off four times in the regular season, with each team claiming a victory at home and on the road. Those games don't provide a whole lot of context for what's in store over the coming week(s).

"I mean this year I think nobody was healthy, they were one time I think," said Jokic of the regular season series. "It was us or them, someone was out. It's the first time we're going to have the healthy group of guys both ways. So, we will see."

The only time each side had their full compliment of starters was the first game of the series, back in November in a 110-89 Timberwolves win. Now, six months later, both sides look to have their full compliment of stars. Nuggets star guard Jamal Murray is listed as questionable with a left calf strain but is likely to play.

On what makes the Wolves so difficult to play, Jokic credits former Nuggets general manager Tim Connelly.

"I think they're built really well," said Jokic. "I think Tim Connelly, when he made that (Gobert) trade, everybody was laughing at him... But he made a great team. I think he deserves credit for doing that."

"Of course the coaching staff are making things work and I think they're a really dangerous team," continued Jokic. "They can have answers for everything - playing small, playing big they can do it all. They're a really dangerous team. Hopefully we can do something in the next four-plus games."

Minnesota are coming off a four-game sweep of the Suns as they gear up for their first second-round series in 20 years. Denver knocked out the Lakers in a five game series and now look to face the team they claimed was their toughest opponent in last year's run to an NBA title.

"I think every game is different," said Jokic when discussing what Denver can take from their first-round series win over Los Angeles. "Minnesota is No. 1 in defense. They are really, really, really aggressive in the defensive end. That's the No. 1 key we need to figure out. Of course, they have so many offensive threats and they're using every player in offense. So, it's going to be a challenge. Hopefully we're going to have answers for them."

The Nuggets will be tasked with shutting down Wolves rising star Anthony Edwards. The young guard was electric in the first-round sweep of Phoenix, averaging 31.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 6.3 assists while shooting 51% from the field.

"He's amazing. He's really dangerous," Jokic said of Edwards. "He's a really talented player that can do everything, who has everything in his arsenal. He has the teammates to back it up. He's actually a really funny guy to be around. Hopefully we are going to have some fun too."

In Minnesota’s opening round series they displayed their trademark defense holding the Suns to 103.3 points per game, Phoenix's 10th ranked offense averaged 116.2 points per game in the regular season. Phoenix were held below 100 points just five times this season,l and the Wolves twice held them below that mark in the first-round series.

"We cannot turn the ball over, that's the main thing," said Jokic when discussing the keys to overcoming the best defense in the league. "We need to have a shot every possession. We cannot fuel the [fast]break. I think that's probably going to be the most important key in the series because they are so dangerous in possession. Maybe, they don't run much but they are so dangerous, they can have easy looks in transition. They are really talented. Everybody is running the floor and everybody can make shots."

Tipoff for Game 1 of the second-round series is set for 6 p.m. CT in Denver.