If it feels like we’ve seen this movie before, it’s because we kind of have. Two years ago, Minnesota trailed Denver by 20 in Game 7 of their series, only to stage one of the greatest comebacks in playoff history and win to advance.
This time was only 19 points, and it’s just Game 2, but you get the idea.
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Anthony Edwards scored 30 with 10 rebounds (and two blocks), Julius Randle added 24 points, and the Timberwolves came from behind to win 119-114 to take Game 2 of their first-round series. That series is tied 1-1, headed to Minnesota.
Of all the good things for the Timberwolves in this game, the most important was how Edwards looked. In Game 1, he’d appeared slowed and bothered by his ailing knee. Monday night, he was back to his explosive self again and able to get to the rim, scoring six of his 10 buckets inside the restricted area.
“He was awesome. It was unbelievable,” Minnesota coach Chris Finch said, via the Associated Press. “Also in that (first) period when we were down, he was great on the bench. Great leadership, positive. He recognized he needed to get into attack mode and get downhill a little bit more. He did that.”
Denver had their chances, but it’s hard to overcome Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic shooting 2-of-12 in the fourth quarter.
Denver’s best chance came when it was down just two with 30.6 seconds left in the game. An Edwards traveling turnover gave the Nuggets the ball and a chance. On the ensuing play, Minnesota blew the Murray/Jokic pick-and-roll coverage, and Jokic had the ball in the lane and a wide-open 8-foot floater to tie it, but instead, he tried a difficult pass to Christian Braun under the basket, who fumbled the ball, got up a shot, but was fouled. Braun made one of two free throws, and Denver never got closer (two Randle free throws and a Donte DiVincenzo breakaway dunk sealed the Timberwolves’ win).
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“I definitely should’ve took that floater,” Jokic said.
“I trust C.B. to make free throws,” Denver coach David Adelman said. “It rimmed out. That happens in the NBA. You’re going to have moments that you don’t want to remember. That’s a tough moment for C.B. after playing such a good game.”
Murray finished with 30 points, while Jokic had 24 with 15 rebounds and eight assists.
The first half of this game was a tale of two quarters. Denver outscored Minnesota 39-25 in the first quarter with the lead reaching 19 early in the second. Then, behind strong play from Julius Randle on both ends of the court, the Timberwolves stormed back and outscored the Nuggets 39-25 in the second. Minnesota would have gone to the half up three if Jamal Murray had not done this.
In the end, it wasn’t enough, and what was expected to be the tightest first-round series this season has lived up to the billing.
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