Timberwolves take Game 2
- The Minnesota Timberwolves outlasted the Denver Nuggets to win Game 2 of their first-round series. (usatoday.com) - USA Today reported the Game 2 result tightened a series that had earlier looked one-sided. (usatoday.com) - The win shifted the Minnesota‑Denver matchup into a more competitive bracket storyline after opening-weekend games. (usatoday.com)
Minnesota beat Denver 119-114 on Monday, April 20, erasing a 20-point hole to tie the first-round series at 1-1. (espn.com) Anthony Edwards finished with 30 points and 10 rebounds, and Julius Randle added 26 points as the Timberwolves took back home-court pressure before the series shifts to Minneapolis. (nba.com) Denver led by 19 in the first half and was up 39-25 after the first quarter, but Minnesota won the fourth 29-21 to close it out. (espn.com) The result changed a matchup that opened with Denver’s 116-105 Game 1 win on April 18. After two games at Ball Arena, the No. 3-seeded Nuggets and No. 6-seeded Timberwolves are even. (nba.com) That matters in this bracket because Denver started the series with home court and early control, while Minnesota now heads home with the split it needed. Game 3 is set for Thursday, April 23, at 9:30 p.m. Eastern in Minneapolis. (nba.com) This is also a quick reset of a familiar playoff rivalry. Minnesota knocked Denver out in a Game 7 comeback two years ago, and ESPN’s recap noted the Timberwolves drew on that same comeback poise after falling behind big again Monday. (espn.com) Nikola Jokić remained Denver’s center of gravity through two games, leading the series in points, rebounds and assists at 24.5, 14.0 and 9.5 per game, according to the National Basketball Association’s series page. (nba.com) Minnesota’s answer has been Edwards, who is averaging 26.0 points and 9.5 rebounds through the split and delivered the late scoring that kept Game 2 from becoming a 0-2 hole. (nba.com) Now the series resets as a best-of-five with Minnesota hosting the next two games, after a night when Denver’s fast start and Minnesota’s comeback both looked real. (nba.com)
