Timberwolves eliminate Nuggets 110-98

The Timberwolves didn’t just survive this series — they finished it with half their guard line missing and still shoved the Nuggets out of the bra(nba.com)fending champs home in the first round. That’s the headline. But the bigger thing is how they did it: not with Anthony Edwards carryin(nba.com)ze, rebounding, and a bunch of role players playing like they’d been waiting for this exact night. (aol.com)it. He put up 32 points and 10 rebounds — his playoff career high — and gave Minnesota the kind of two-way game that bends a closeout night. Terrence Shannon Jr. chipped in 24 in a surprise start, which mattered even more because the Wolves were so short-handed in the backcourt. This wasn’t one superstar explosion. It was Minnesota finding offense from places Denver didn’t control. (nba.com) ### How did Minnesota win without its guards? By going big and making the game ugly fo(aol.com) lineups with Rudy Gobert, Julius Randle, and Naz Reid. The result was simple and brutal — a 64-40 edge in points in the paint and a 50-33 advantage on the glass. Basically, the Wolves turned a talent problem into a geometry problem. They made the floor feel small for Denver and huge for themselves. (africa.espn.com) ### What happened to Denver’s offense? Nikola Jokić still got numbers — 28 point(nba.com) really felt like his. Denver spent too much of it reacting instead of dictating. Jamal Murray got pressured, the supporting cast never settled the series, and Minnesota’s physicality kept pushing Denver off its preferred rhythm. A box score can say Jokić was productive. The game itself said Denver never looked comfortable enough. (africa.espn.com) ### Why does this count as a(africa.espn.com), and still had the best player in the series. Minnesota was the No. 6 seed and came in damaged. The Wolves had already reached the conference finals in 2024 and 2025, so this isn’t some random Cinderella run, but winning a closeout game this short-handed changes the feel of the whole postseason. It says their identity travels even when the roster doesn’t. (nba.com) ### What do(africa.espn.com)series set to start Monday. So the bracket just opened in a way a lot of people probably didn’t expect a week ago. Instead of Denver looming as a veteran threat, the West gets a Wolves team that just proved it can win with improvisation, size, and defensive nerve. (startribune.com) ### What does this mean for Denver now? This is where the loss g(nba.com)-coaching audit. Jokić was blunt after the exit — the Nuggets are “far” from title contention. That doesn’t mean Denver is broken. But it does mean the old assumption — that Jokić automatically gives you an inner-circle contender — suddenly looks less automatic than it did a year ago. (africa.espn.com)s margin vanished. In the playoffs, that’s usually the whole story — one team can still be itself under pressure, and the other can’t. (nba.com)