Timberwolves steal Game 2
- Minnesota outlasted Denver to take Game 2 and tighten their Western Conference first-round matchup. - The win came amid early playoff weekend that began April 18 and is reshaping series narratives. - The Timberwolves-Nuggets matchup is now one of the first real tensions in a chalk-heavy opening round this postseason. ( )
Minnesota beat Denver 119-114 on Monday, erasing a 19-point first-quarter deficit to tie the Western Conference first-round series at 1-1. (espn.com) Anthony Edwards scored 30 points with 10 rebounds, and Julius Randle added 24 after Minnesota trailed 44-25 late in the first quarter at Ball Arena. (nba.com, espn.com) Denver got 30 points from Jamal Murray and 24 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists from Nikola Jokić, but the pair shot a combined 2-for-12 in the fourth quarter and scored four points there. (espn.com) The series now moves to Minneapolis for Game 3 on Thursday, April 23, after the National Basketball Association playoffs opened on April 18. Minnesota is the No. 6 seed and Denver is the No. 3 seed in the West bracket. (nba.com, sportingnews.com) That result cut against an opening round that had mostly followed seed lines through the first weekend, with every series reaching Game 2 by Monday night. Denver had also entered on a 13-game winning streak dating to March 18. (usatoday.com, espn.com) Minnesota changed the game in the second quarter by attacking the paint after settling for perimeter shots early, and it won the second quarter 39-25 after losing the first by the same score. (nba.com) The Wolves also finished with a 20-3 edge in second-chance points, a swing that helped offset Murray’s 51-foot buzzer-beater that tied the game 64-64 at halftime. (espn.com, nba.com) The matchup already carried extra weight because the teams know each other well inside the Northwest Division, and Denver had been 8-0 in playoff series after taking the first two games while Minnesota had been 0-8 when falling behind 0-2. (espn.com) Game 1 had turned physical, with Minnesota coach Chris Finch complaining again before Game 2 about the free-throw gap from the opener, while Denver coach David Adelman said some of Murray’s 16 free throws in that game came from flagrant and technical fouls. (espn.com) Now the series heads to Target Center with the split Minnesota needed, and with Edwards looking closer to full speed after his sore right knee limited him in the opener. (espn.com, nba.com)
