NBA playoffs: Denver evens the Minnesota series thanks to Murray’s halfcourt buzzer beater
In Game 4 of the Western Conference playoffs on Sunday night, the Denver Nuggets defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 115-107, drawing the series. Nikola Jokic scored 16 of his 35 points in the fourth quarter, and Aaron Gordon finished with 27 points on 11 of 12 shooting.
For the Nuggets, Jamal Murray scored 12 of his 19 points in the third quarter, riding high after his game-winning, buzzer-beating dunk from half court with two minutes remaining in the second quarter. The basket came at a pivotal moment for the reigning champs, who scored eight points in the final 20 seconds of the second quarter to stave off a home team comeback after Anthony Edwards’ three-pointer had cut the lead to seven points.
In yet another outstanding game for Minnesota, Edwards shot 16 of 25 from the field to score 44 points. But despite having a 42-31 rebounding advantage, Denver, who was motivated after losing the first two games of the series at home, defeated the Wolves at home for the second time in a row. Tuesday night’s Game 5 of the series returns to Denver.
Karl-Anthony Towns shot just 5 for 18 from the field for 13 points and 12 rebounds, Rudy Gobert came alive in the closing minutes to score 11 points and pull down 14 boards, and Mike Conley scored 15 points. For the second consecutive game, the Wolves were still right behind them at home.
The Wolves suffered a 27-point loss as a result of their three days break between Games 2 and 3, and coach Chris Finch said they were feeling “fat and lazy” after their impressive performance in Denver. To keep the audience continuously roaring, they had to immediately reintroduce their edge, and Edwards led that response with diligence.
With Gordon and Jokic splitting the point guard duties to lessen the load on Murray and his strained left calf muscle, the 2020 first overall draft pick scored nine points in the first four and a half minutes before Murray even touched the ball.
As the Nuggets fully anticipated, Edwards was on a mission to will the Wolves to victory following a quiet Game 3. He hit from all over the floor, so their lane pressure wasn’t enough, but the other Wolves consistently fell short of forcing the Nuggets to pay for leaving them vulnerable.
Not only did they miss corner threes, but also tip-ins at the basket. Towns missed his first seven shots, and although he never wavered in his effort or defense, he was a disaster when it came to getting the ball in the hoop and infrequently drew the fouls he advocated for.
In the first two games, the Wolves displayed their league-best defense and impressive depth, but the Nuggets took that recipe on the road and duplicated it. They are extremely difficult to beat when their bench players and backup scorers are making their shots.
For a total of 8 for 11 from three-point range, Gordon, Justin Holiday (10 points), Christian Braun (11 points), and Reggie Jackson (6 points) scored. The four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year Gobert was resting on the bench for all but five of the points during their 26-4 run that connected the first and second quarters.
