Anthony Edwards And Karl-Anthony Town Supported Minnesota‘S Flash 106-80 Later Denver nuggets on Monday night gave the Timberwolves a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference semifinals against the defending champions but were reeling NBA champion.
Towns and Edwards both scored 27 points as the Wolves improved to 6-0 in the playoffs and gave themselves a chance to take down the red-hot Nuggets with wins Friday night and Sunday in Minneapolis.
The Wolves were so dominant that they had the Nuggets throw entire suits (Michael Malone) and objects onto the court (Jamal Murray).
Aaron Gordon leads Denver by 20 points, Nikola Jokic had 16 points and 16 rebounds but their third leading scorer was sub Justin Holliday with 13 points. Murray scored 8 points on 3-of-18 shooting.
The Wolves stunned the Nuggets with blow after blow despite their starting center position Rudy Gobert returned home to Minneapolis to attend gave birth to a son on Sunday. But they didn’t need Gobert’s shot-blocking ability and rim protection tonight to continue dominating the Nuggets at Ball Arena, where Denver was outscored 36-8 before a straight-set loss to Minnesota.
Kyle Anderson Replace Gobert in the starting lineup and the Timberwolves hunt down Jokic and similarly shut down Denver’s offense.
During the Timberwolves’ 43-18 first half – Edwards spent most of it on the bench, no less – the Nuggets became so frustrated that Malone ran onto the court and confronted official Marc Davis in the game. a long time. blew up during the timeout and somehow avoided a technical error.
So did Murray after Denver’s weak point guard throw in a thermal bag came off the field frustrated as Towns was about to score in the second half.
It’s unclear whether officials realized it was Murray who threw the object onto the field and not the fan. However, he will likely face punishment from the federation.
Frustrated by their slow start – the Nuggets have held double-digit leads in six of their seven playoff games and nine remaining – Malone challenged his team to a strong start.
“What are we waiting for?” he pleaded after Sunday’s practice.
Only Aaron Gordon heeded his coach’s call, scoring 13 quick points, including a 3-pointer that gave the Nuggets an 18-17 lead late in the first quarter.
Things became clear for Denver after that as Jokic was the only player left to score for the Nuggets before the second half. Jokic had just eight points at halftime and Murray, still bothered by a strained left calf, scored just two points in the first half for the duo’s worst offensive output in half this season.
Trailing 61-35 at halftime, the Nuggets’ 26-point halftime deficit was Denver’s largest in a home playoff game in franchise history.
The Wolves led 82-60 after three quarters and cruised the rest of the way.
Associated Press reports.
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