Wolves stun the Nuggets

Minnesota walked out of Denver with a 119-114 win in Game 2 on Monday night, erasing a 19-point deficit and tying the series 1-1. (nba.com) Anthony Edwards scored 30 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, and Julius Randle added 24 points in the comeback at Ball Arena on April 20. (espn.com) Denver led 44-25 early in the second quarter after a 39-point first period, but Minnesota answered with a 39-point second quarter of its own and flipped the game before closing it out late. (nba.com) The result sent the series to Minneapolis even after Denver had taken Game 1, 116-105, and it denied the Nuggets a 2-0 edge at home. Game 3 is scheduled for Thursday, April 23, at 9:30 p.m. Eastern. (nba.com) For Minnesota, the road win changed the shape of the matchup immediately. The Timberwolves had been 0-8 in franchise history when they lost the first two games of a playoff series, while Denver had been 8-0 after opening a series 2-0. (nba.com) Nikola Jokić still finished with 24 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists, but he did not control the game the way he often does, and Yahoo Sports pointed to Rudy Gobert’s work in making him “look human.” (sports.yahoo.com) Jamal Murray kept Denver afloat with 30 points, but the Nuggets were outscored 29-21 in the fourth quarter after building the early cushion. Donte DiVincenzo’s late breakaway dunk helped seal the final margin. (espn.com) The ending turned on Denver’s last chances. With 31 seconds left, Edwards committed a turnover, then Christian Braun missed one of two free throws after Jokić passed up a floater, leaving the Nuggets behind 115-114. (nba.com) Randle hit two free throws with 18.8 seconds left, and Minnesota finished the job it came to Denver needing: one split on the road, with Edwards at the center of it. (nba.com)