Wolves stun Nuggets
- The Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Denver Nuggets in Game 2 of their first‑round series, evening the tone of the matchup. (usatoday.com) - The Game 2 outcome was highlighted as a key early playoff takeaway in Western Conference coverage. (espn.com) - The opening weekend is already shaping which teams carry momentum into the series' middle games. (espn.com)
Minnesota erased a 19-point deficit in Denver on Monday night and beat the Nuggets 119-114 in Game 2, sending the first-round series to Minneapolis tied 1-1. (espn.com) Anthony Edwards scored 30 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, and Julius Randle added 24 points after Denver built a 44-25 lead early in the second quarter at Ball Arena. (espn.com) Minnesota answered Denver’s 39-point first quarter with a 39-point second quarter of its own, and Jamal Murray’s 51-foot buzzer-beater only sent the teams to halftime tied 64-64. (nba.com) The finish turned on small plays: Anthony Edwards committed a turnover with 31 seconds left, Christian Braun split two free throws with 19 seconds left, then Randle made two foul shots and Donte DiVincenzo finished a breakaway dunk. (espn.com) Two days earlier, Denver had taken Game 1 by 11 points, 116-105, behind Murray’s 30 points and Nikola Jokic’s 25-point, 13-rebound, 11-assist triple-double. (espn.com) Game 2 changed the shape of the matchup because Denver lost the chance to go home with a 2-0 series lead; the Nuggets are 8-0 in franchise history after winning the first two games of a playoff series, while Minnesota is 0-8 after losing Games 1 and 2. (espn.com) The series now shifts to Target Center for Game 3 on Thursday, April 23, at 9:30 p.m. Eastern, after the teams traded road and home punches in the first two games in Denver. (nba.com) Denver still got 24 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists from Jokic in Game 2, and Murray scored 30 again, but Minnesota’s comeback gave the lower-seeded Timberwolves the split they came to Colorado chasing. (espn.com)
