The Wolves defeated the Nuggets by 45 points to force a seventh game.
Minneapolis, MinnesotaWith 27 points, Anthony Edwards helped the Minnesota Timberwolves overcome the Denver Nuggets 115-70 on Thursday night, forcing a decisive Game 7 in this exciting postseason game. The Timberwolves had been struggling since the middle of the season.
Based on research by ESPN Stats & Information, the 45-point victory is the greatest in NBA history when facing elimination and the largest ever against a defending champion in the playoffs. With a 50-point deficit, Denver was behind more than in any game over the previous 25 seasons (playoff and regular season combined).
In addition to playing lockdown defense and scoring 21 points, Jaden McDaniels also contributed 13 points after his injury comeback. Large guys Rudy Gobert, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Naz Reid worked tirelessly to secure 38 rebounds and limit NBA MVP Nikola Jokic to a meager 22 points.
On Sunday night in Denver, there is a pivotal game that will determine a position in the Western Conference playoffs.
History indicates that Thursday night’s lopsided defeat doesn’t necessarily portend disaster for Denver, per ESPN Stats & Information. In NBA history, the Nuggets are the seventh club to lose Game 6 by 30 points or more, forcing a Game 7 overtime. Most notably in the 1996 Western Conference finals, when the Seattle Sonics trailed by 35 points in Game 6 to the Utah Jazz before winning the series, three of the previous four teams overcame adversity to win Game 7.
For the Nuggets, who saw their bench outnumbered 36-9, Jamal Murray struggled once more, scoring just 10 points on 4 of 18 shots. Seven of those points came in the last five minutes of play. After the starters’ 20-0 run in the first quarter, the Wolves reserves went on a 24-0 run in the fourth quarter to take an incredible 49-point lead.
For the Nuggets, who went only 7 for 36 from 3-point range and trailed by at least 17 points for the final 31 minutes of the game, Aaron Gordon had 12 points and 8 rebounds.
McDaniels’ offense is usually a benefit for the Wolves, but he can’t play as quietly as he did over the course of the first five games, scoring 35 points in total. This time, he was everywhere on the court, going 3-of-5 from deep and adding some timed dunks to enthrall the audience.
Edwards, who last played at Target Center in a Game 4 defeat despite finishing with 44 points, had the determined appearance of a superstar player unwilling to give up the series. He scored nine points during the 20-0 run and only needed nine field goals to reach 19 points at halftime.
He converted a steal into a fast break early in the third quarter, then used two crossover dribbles to get Michael Porter Jr. airborne and burst by him for a slam. After driving past Porter to draw a foul, he landed hard on his back a few minutes later. When Edwards returned to the court without missing a beat, the Wolves took a timeout to allow him additional space to collect his breath. This sparked the “MVP!” chanting.
In anticipation of what was to come, Edwards held up seven fingers to the cheering fans as a fourth-quarter timeout indicated the beginning of empty-the-bench time.
Conley missed Game 5 in Denver due to right calf muscle pain, and the 17-year-old veteran point guard undoubtedly contributed to keeping the half-court setups tidy and structured upon his return. Despite this, the Wolves were often disorganized offensively.
With 14 points in the first quarter, the Wolves kept the Nuggets to their second-lowest point total in the league this postseason, after Miami’s 12 points in a Game 3 loss to Boston in the opening round.
Murray struggled mightily to produce any kind of impact against McDaniels and the rest of the NBA-best defense, which had shown some noticeable weaknesses over the previous three games before coming together.
Murray, who shot 3-for-18 in the second game, attempted a variety of shots, including spot-ups, fadeaways, and leaners. Even after he airballed a finger roll from the baseline, Naz Reid backed him down in the post during a poor matchup, allowing the Wolves to win 43–24 on a flip-in.
In stark contrast to Murray’s 55-foot swish at the end of the second quarter in Game 3, which ended an 8-0 run over 20 crucial seconds, McDaniels tipped in a missed 3-pointer by Reid at the halftime buzzer to make it 59-40.
