Edwards, DiVincenzo exit Game 4 as Timberwolves seize 3‑1 series lead
- The Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Denver Nuggets 112-96 in Game 4 on Saturday, April 25, even after losing Anthony Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo to first-half leg injuries in Minneapolis. - Ayo Dosunmu scored a career-high 43 points off the bench, the highest-scoring playoff game by an NBA reserve in 50 years, as Minnesota turned a 54-50 halftime deficit into a rout. - Minnesota now leads the first-round series 3-1, with Game 5 set for Monday, April 27, in Denver and the Nuggets facing elimination (nba.com).
Minnesota beat Denver 112-96 in Game 4 on Saturday night, but the score came with two major injuries to the Timberwolves’ starting backcourt. (apnews.com) (nba.com) Donte DiVincenzo went down 79 seconds into the first quarter with a noncontact injury to his lower right leg. ESPN reported, citing sources, that he tore his right Achilles and left the arena at halftime in a wheelchair. (espn.com) (nba.com) Anthony Edwards exited late in the second quarter after appearing to hyperextend his left knee while contesting a shot by Cam Johnson. The Timberwolves ruled him out after halftime, and ESPN reported he is set for an MRI. (espn.com) (apnews.com) Minnesota trailed 54-50 at halftime and still won by 16. The swing came from Ayo Dosunmu, who scored 43 points off the bench after arriving in a midseason trade. (espn.com) (nba.com) The NBA said Dosunmu’s 43 points were a playoff-record night for him and the highest-scoring postseason game by a reserve in 50 years. Minnesota coach Chris Finch said after the game that the team’s depth had to carry the night once the injuries hit. (nba.com) (apnews.com) The result pushed the sixth-seeded Timberwolves to a 3-1 lead over the third-seeded Nuggets in the Western Conference first round. Game 5 is scheduled for Monday, April 27, at Ball Arena in Denver. (nba.com) Denver is now in the small slice of teams trying to come back from 3-1 down. NBA.com said only 4.4% of the 298 teams that previously fell into that hole came back to win the series. (nba.com) The immediate question is no longer whether Minnesota can close the series quickly. It is whether the Timberwolves will have Edwards for Game 5 and how they replace DiVincenzo after what appears to be a season-ending injury. (espn.com) (nba.com)
