Timberwolves win Game 2

Minnesota went into Denver on April 20 and beat the Nuggets 119-114, tying the first-round series at one game apiece. (nba.com) Anthony Edwards scored 30 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, and Julius Randle added 24 points after Minnesota fell behind by 19 in the first half. (nba.com) Denver led 44-25 early in the second quarter, but the Timberwolves answered with a 39-25 second period of their own and turned the game into a 64-64 tie by halftime. Jamal Murray hit a 51-foot buzzer-beater before the break and finished with 30 points. (espn.com) Nikola Jokic had 24 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists, but Denver scored 21 points in the fourth quarter after putting up 39 in the first. Christian Braun missed one of two free throws with 19 seconds left and the Nuggets trailing by one. (espn.com) The split sends the series to Minneapolis with Game 3 set for Thursday, April 23, at Target Center. Denver entered as the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference, and Minnesota as the No. 6 seed. (nba.com) That road win changed the shape of the matchup quickly. Denver had won the regular-season series 3-1 and finished the regular season on a 12-game winning streak, while Minnesota had spent the final weeks managing Edwards’ right knee. (nba.com) The teams already had recent playoff history before this opener. Minnesota came back from 20 points down in Game 7 against Denver in 2024, and the Associated Press noted that the Timberwolves again erased a huge deficit Monday night at Ball Arena. (espn.com) Minnesota also avoided a deeper hole in franchise terms. The Associated Press reported the Wolves were 0-8 in their history when they lost the first two games of a playoff series, while Denver was 8-0 after taking a 2-0 lead. (espn.com) Now the series resets with home court flipped and the score even. After two games in Denver, the Timberwolves got the split they needed and the Nuggets lost the clean start they had in reach. (nba.com)