Timberwolves take Game 2
- Minnesota beat Denver in Game 2 of their first-round NBA playoff series, shifting early momentum in the West. - Media coverage described the Timberwolves as outlasting the Nuggets in a pivotal Game 2 swing. - Analysts and highlight packages flagged the result as an early-series turning point ( ).
Minnesota beat Denver 119-114 on Monday, April 20, erasing a 19-point deficit in Game 2 to send the first-round series back to Minneapolis tied 1-1. (espn.com) Anthony Edwards scored 30 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for Minnesota, and Julius Randle added 24 points in the road win at Ball Arena. Denver got 30 points from Jamal Murray, while Nikola Jokic finished with 24 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists. (sportsdata.usatoday.com) Denver led 39-25 after the first quarter, but Minnesota answered with a 39-point second quarter and won the final period 29-21. The Timberwolves shot 48% from the field, made 14 of 34 three-pointers, and finished with a 49-43 rebounding edge. (sportsdata.usatoday.com) The split changed the shape of the series because Denver had opened with a 116-105 home win in Game 1 on April 18. Instead of taking a 2-0 lead back to Minnesota, the Nuggets lost home-court control before Game 3 on Thursday, April 23. (espn.com, nba.com) The matchup already carried recent playoff history. Minnesota knocked Denver out in a seven-game Western Conference semifinal in 2024, and the Game 2 comeback revived that recent pattern of the Timberwolves winning high-leverage games in Denver. (espn.com) NBA.com’s Game 2 takeaways said the teams had “delivered and absorbed each other’s best punch,” framing the first two games as a back-and-forth series rather than an early Denver runaway. The league schedule now lists the series as tied 1-1 heading into the shift to Minneapolis. (nba.com, nba.com) The swing came from Minnesota’s depth as much as Edwards’ scoring. Donte DiVincenzo led the Timberwolves with six assists, Rudy Gobert had two steals, and Minnesota finished with 30 assists on 43 made field goals. (sportsdata.usatoday.com) Denver still has the two most productive stars in the series through two games, but the Nuggets now need at least one road win to take back control. Game 3 is scheduled for Thursday night in Minneapolis with the series even and the early cushion gone. (nba.com, espn.com)
