There will be a new champion team in the NBA.
The Minnesota Timberwolves erased a 15-point deficit midway through the game to triumph 98-90 Sunday night and eliminate the defending champion Denver Nuggets in seven games.
The Nuggets’ lead was even 20 points at the start of the third quarter. This victory still allows the Timberwolves to join the Dallas Mavericks in the Western final.
Karl-Anthony Towns scored 23 points, while Jaden McDaniels added 23 points. Star player Anthony Edwards found his bearings after a difficult start to the match and he scored 16 points in addition to adding 8 rebounds and 7 assists.
“It was tough, I couldn’t find my rhythm tonight,” Edwards told TNT after the game. I had to trust my teammates and make sure I made the right play throughout the game. My teammates made the shots. »
The Nuggets were unable to take full advantage of good performances from stars Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic to continue their playoff run. Murray had 35 points, while Jokic was dominant under the ring with 34 points and 19 rebounds.
No other Nuggets player managed to reach 10 points in the game.
The first half was to the advantage of the Nuggets, who took the opportunity to take control 53-38. Murray was electrifying with 24 points, while Jokic was true to form with 13 points and 15 rebounds.
The situation was less rosy for the Timberwolves, for whom Edwards had been limited to four small points.
Minneseota, however, stepped on the accelerator in the third quarter to close the gap and approach the Timberwolves. Minnesota went on a big 21-3 run in the third quarter to close the gap considerably.
In the opening seconds of the fourth quarter, the Timberwolves took the lead 68-67. It was the first time since the first quarter, at 19-18, that they took control of the match.
Minnsetoa controlled the game with less than five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, pushing its lead to ten points with 3:05 remaining. It was a shot from Edwards that gave the Timberwolves a ten-point lead.
Edwards had a good fourth quarter and made several important plays to contribute to his team’s success.
“There are many ways to win a basketball game when you’re not just an offensive player. I’m not a one-dimensional player. I can go limit their best point guard and I think I succeeded against Jamal in the fourth quarter,” Edwards said.
The Nuggets cut the lead to five points, but a Towns basket off a rebound with less than 40 seconds left dashed Denver’s hopes of a comeback.
