Timberwolves win Game 2
- The Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Denver Nuggets in Game 2 of their first‑round NBA playoff series on Monday night. - USA Today reported the Timberwolves outlasted the Nuggets as early series action continued on April 20. - The result joined several early playoff surprises and close finishes reshaping first‑round expectations (usatoday.com).
Minnesota erased a 20-point first-half deficit and beat Denver 119-114 on Monday, tying the first-round series at one game apiece. (espn.com) Anthony Edwards finished with 30 points and 10 rebounds, Julius Randle added 27 points, and Donte DiVincenzo scored 16 points off the bench for the Timberwolves at Ball Arena. (nba.com) Denver led 39-25 after the first quarter, but Minnesota answered with a 39-point second quarter and then held the Nuggets to 21 points in the fourth. Nikola Jokic scored 26 points, Jamal Murray had 24, and Aaron Gordon added 23 for Denver. (espn.com) The split sends the series to Minneapolis for Game 3 on Thursday, April 23, after Denver opened the matchup with a 116-105 win on April 18. Minnesota is the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference, and Denver is No. 3. (espn.com) This is the same playoff matchup that swung hard in Minnesota’s favor two years ago, when the Timberwolves came back from 20 points down in Game 7 in Denver to reach the Western Conference finals. Monday’s rally came in the same building against much of the same core. (espn.com) Denver went 54-28 in the regular season and finished second in the Northwest Division behind Oklahoma City, while Minnesota went 49-33 and finished third in the division. The Nuggets also went 28-13 at home before the playoffs, which made the split in Denver more costly. (espn.com) The game also fit the early pattern of this postseason, with several first-round series opening with road wins, close finishes, or split results that kept favorites from taking early control. USA Today’s playoff roundup listed Minnesota’s win among the Monday results that reshaped the bracket after the opening weekend. (usatoday.com) Now the pressure shifts to Minneapolis, where the Timberwolves have home court for the next two games and Denver no longer has a cushion from its fast start in Game 2. (espn.com)
