Timberwolves steal Game 2
- The Minnesota Timberwolves upset the Denver Nuggets to win Game 2 of their first‑round series. (usatoday.com) - USA Today flagged the Wolves’ Game 2 victory as one of the early playoff surprises of opening weekend. (usatoday.com) - Across opening weekend, every home team won Game 1 except top‑seeded Detroit, making Pistons–Magic an early pressure point. (usatoday.com)
Minnesota erased a 19-point deficit in Denver on Monday night and beat the Nuggets 119-114 to pull its first-round series even at 1-1. (espn.com) Anthony Edwards scored 30 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, and Julius Randle added 24 points for the Timberwolves in Game 2 at Ball Arena on April 20. Jamal Murray scored 30 for Denver, while Nikola Jokic finished with 24 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists. (espn.com) Denver led 44-25 early in the second quarter after a 39-25 first period, then watched Minnesota win the second quarter by the same 39-25 margin. The Timberwolves closed the game with late free throws from Randle and a breakaway dunk by Donte DiVincenzo after Christian Braun split a pair at the line with 19 seconds left. (espn.com) The split changed the shape of a series that opened with Denver’s 116-105 win on April 18. NBA.com listed the matchup as the No. 3 Nuggets against the No. 6 Timberwolves, with Game 3 set for Thursday, April 23, in Minneapolis. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2) Minnesota and Denver have been trading playoff blows for three postseasons. NBA.com noted that, since the 2022-23 season, Denver holds a 15-14 edge in regular-season and playoff meetings, and each team has won a playoff series against the other in that span. (nba.com) Opening weekend had mostly followed the bracket until Monday night. USA Today wrote that all of the home teams won Game 1 except the top-seeded Detroit Pistons, making Orlando’s early lead in that series one of the weekend’s other pressure points. (usatoday.com) By early Tuesday, the league had three first-round series at 1-1, including Timberwolves-Nuggets and Hawks-Knicks, while Cleveland moved ahead 2-0 against Toronto. Minnesota’s road win turned Denver’s opener from a chance to seize control into a best-of-five. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2) Now the series shifts to Minneapolis with the split Denver could not finish at home and the road win Minnesota needed before hosting Game 3. (nba.com)
