Timberwolves take Game 2
- The Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Denver Nuggets in Game 2, outlasting them as the first-round bracket tightens. (usatoday.com) - The key detail: it was a Game 2 road win that shifted momentum in the West. (usatoday.com) - With the full bracket set, national outlets say series-level trends now matter more than pre-tournament seeding. (espn.com)
Minnesota went into Denver on April 20 and left with a 119-114 win, tying its first-round series with the Nuggets at one game apiece. (nba.com) The Timberwolves erased a 19-point deficit at Ball Arena after Denver led 39-25 at the end of the first quarter. Minnesota won the second quarter 39-25 and the fourth 29-21 to flip the game. (foxsports.com) Anthony Edwards finished with 30 points and 10 rebounds, and Julius Randle helped drive the comeback as Minnesota recovered after dropping Game 1. Nikola Jokic had 24 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists for Denver in the loss. (nba.com) The result changed the shape of the series because Denver had home court as the No. 3 seed and hosted Games 1 and 2 under the National Basketball Association’s 2-2-1-1-1 playoff format. By splitting in Denver, Minnesota took back home-court advantage before Game 3 in Minneapolis on April 23. (espn.com) (nba.com) That matters in a bracket that is now fully set, with every first-round matchup moving from seeding talk to game-by-game adjustments, health and shot-making. ESPN’s playoff tracker lists Denver-Minnesota among the Western Conference series now defined by early swings rather than regular-season order alone. (espn.com) Denver had a chance to take full control after winning Game 1, 116-105, on April 18. Instead, the Nuggets head to Minnesota needing to win on the road in a matchup that already produced another double-digit comeback between these teams. (nba.com) (espn.com) The teams have recent playoff history, too: ESPN’s game recap noted that Minnesota came back from 20 down in Denver in a Game 7 two years earlier. Game 2 added another late-swing result to a series that has opened with Denver by 11 and Minnesota by five. (espn.com) Game 3 is scheduled for Thursday, April 23, in Minneapolis, with the series now reduced to a best-of-five after Minnesota’s road split. The opener gave Denver the first punch; Game 2 gave Minnesota the answer. (nba.com)
