MINNESOTA – The “super-pumped” Minnesota Timberwolves are preparing to bare their fangs again when they take on the defending National Basketball Association (NBA) champions once more.
On May 16, they overwhelmed the Denver Nuggets 115-70 at home to force a decisive Game 7 in their Western Conference semi-final play-offs.
Anthony Edwards shook off an injury scare to finish with 27 points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals as the young, hungry Timberwolves fended off elimination against Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets.
Denver had won the previous three games after trailing 2-0 to take charge of the best-of-seven series.
Jaden McDaniels scored 21 points and Karl-Anthony Towns had 10 points and 13 rebounds. Minnesota finished with a 62-43 advantage in rebounds and the Timberwolves reserves outscored the Nuggets bench 36-9.
The Nuggets will host the winner-take-all Game 7 on May 19.
“I’m super pumped for it,” Edwards said of the chance to eliminate the Nuggets on their home floor. But McDaniels cautioned that their opponents would be ready as well.
“It’s not over,” he said. “We’re just going to try to keep this intensity for the next game.”
Minnesota outscored Denver 31-14 in the first quarter, dominating in the paint and winning the rebounding battle 19-9.
The Nuggets went nearly six minutes without scoring, with the crowd at the Target Centre in Minneapolis growing more frenzied as the Timberwolves’ lead grew.
Another surge by Denver to open the second quarter was quickly repelled with a 13-0 Minnesota run that featured back-to-back baskets from Naz Reid and a three-pointer from Edwards.
Every time the Nuggets looked to be gaining momentum, Minnesota responded and went into the break leading 59-40.
Timberwolves coach Chris Finch was pleased with a bounce-back performance from his team.
“There was the response to the last three games, and most important was we did a really good job of focusing and coming back with the right energy,” he said.
It was more of the same in the third, with Minnesota taking a 66-42 lead when Edwards threw down a dunk.
Moments later, however, he took a frightening fall under the basket, landing hard and rolling to face the floor before gesturing to his lower back.
He said he banged his tailbone, but would be ready for Game 7.
When Minnesota pushed the lead to 30 on Rudy Gobert’s layup early in the fourth, Denver coach Michael Malone pulled his starters, the Nuggets falling behind by as many as 50 before it was over.
“They hit us first, they hit us second, they hit us third. They did what they needed to do to keep this series alive,” he said. AFP
