Wolves one win from advancing after Game 4; Nuggets injuries mount
- Minnesota beat Denver 112-96 in Game 4 on Saturday night, pushing the Timberwolves to a 3-1 lead in their first-round Western Conference series and putting the Nuggets one loss from elimination. - Ayo Dosunmu scored a career-high 43 points off the bench, the highest-scoring playoff game by a reserve in 50 years, after Anthony Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo both exited with leg injuries. - Minnesota now heads to Denver for Game 5 on Monday, April 27, with Edwards’ knee and DiVincenzo’s torn right Achilles reshaping the series. (nba.com)
Minnesota is one win from knocking out Denver after a 112-96 Game 4 victory on Saturday night put the Timberwolves ahead 3-1 in the series. (nba.com) (espn.com) The Timberwolves did it after losing Donte DiVincenzo less than two minutes into the game to a torn right Achilles, an injury the Minnesota Star Tribune reported was confirmed after ESPN first reported it. (startribune.com) (espn.com) Anthony Edwards also left in the first half with a knee injury, forcing Minnesota to finish the night without two starting guards. (espn.com) (startribune.com) Ayo Dosunmu carried the offense with a career-high 43 points off the bench. ESPN’s recap said it was the highest-scoring playoff performance by a reserve in 50 years. (espn.com) (nba.com) Denver got 30 points from Jamal Murray, but the Nuggets were outscored 62-42 in the second half as Minnesota turned a six-point halftime deficit into a 16-point win. (espn.com) (basketball-reference.com) The series opened with Denver’s 116-105 win in Game 1, but Minnesota has taken the next three games: 119-114, 113-96 and 112-96. (nba.com) (espn.com) That leaves the Nuggets facing elimination in Game 5 at Ball Arena on Monday, April 27, with the Timberwolves trying to close the series on the road. (nba.com) (espn.com) Minnesota’s problem is that its 3-1 lead now sits alongside two major health questions. DiVincenzo is out for the season, and Edwards’ status is the immediate issue before Game 5. (startribune.com) (espn.com) For Denver, the margin is gone. The defending group that led this matchup after Game 1 now has to win three straight against a team that just beat it by 16 without its full starting backcourt. (nba.com) (espn.com)
