Timberwolves flip Game 2
- The Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Denver Nuggets in Game 2, stopping Denver from a 2–0 series advantage. (usatoday.com) - Minnesota's road win in Denver is being called the first notable swing of the playoff week. (espn.com) - Tonight's slate includes 76ers at Celtics and Rockets at Lakers, with betting markets and player prop attention heating up. (sports.yahoo.com)
Minnesota walked out of Denver with a 119-114 win in Game 2 on Monday night, erasing a 19-point deficit and tying the series 1-1. (nba.com) Anthony Edwards scored 30 points with 10 rebounds, and Julius Randle added 24 as the Timberwolves answered Denver’s 116-105 Game 1 win from Saturday, April 18. (nba.com) (espn.com) Denver led 44-25 early in the second quarter after a 39-25 first period, but Minnesota flipped the second quarter by the same 39-25 margin and reached halftime tied 64-64 on Jamal Murray’s 51-foot buzzer-beater. (nba.com) The series moved fast from a Denver edge to a split because the Nuggets had been 8-0 in franchise history after taking the first two games of a playoff series, while the Timberwolves had been 0-8 after falling behind 0-2. (nba.com) This is a first-round matchup between the West’s No. 3 seed, Denver, and No. 6 seed, Minnesota, in the National Basketball Association’s 2-2-1-1-1 format, with Game 3 set for Thursday, April 23, at Target Center in Minneapolis. (nba.com) (espn.com) Nikola Jokić finished with 24 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists, and Murray scored 30 for Denver, but the Nuggets were outscored 29-21 in the fourth quarter. (espn.com) The closing sequence turned on free throws. Christian Braun missed one of two with 19 seconds left and Denver down 115-114, then Randle hit two foul shots and Donte DiVincenzo sealed it with a breakaway dunk. (espn.com) Edwards said Minnesota’s response came from “coming together” and “staying poised,” after he looked healthier than in Game 1 and attacked the rim more often despite the right knee issue noted in the opener. (nba.com) Tuesday’s playoff schedule keeps the spotlight on Game 2s: Philadelphia visits Boston at 4 p.m. Eastern with the Celtics favored by 14.5 points, and Houston visits the Lakers at 7:30 p.m. Eastern with the Rockets favored by 4.5. (espn.com 1) (espn.com 2) For now, the bracket looks different than it did 24 hours ago: Denver no longer has a 2-0 cushion, and Minnesota goes home with the first split of the series. (nba.com)
