It was not going to be as easy to defeat the reigning NBA champion, the MVP team, as it seemed in the first two games of the series. The Denver Nuggets won the second away game against the Minnesota Timberwolves this Sunday (107-115) and regained home field advantage in this Western Conference semifinal series.
An incredible triple by Jamal Murray, at the halftime horn and from beyond the center line, a ball that the Timberwolves had given him in desperate search for a basket, was the coup d’état that Minnesota could not overcome. The Nuggets were 15 points up at the locker room, a cushion they would maintain for the rest of the game.
Nikola Jokic was the best on his team with 35 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists, fantastic numbers for the MVP who was very well surrounded: Aaron Gordon scored 27 points (in addition to 6 rebounds and 7 assists) with a spectacular 11 of 12 on field goals. Murray, the author of the heroic triple, finished with 19 points, 8 assists and 5 rebounds.
Anthony Edwards wanted to redeem himself from the last game and carried his team on his back. He scored 44 points, grabbed 5 rebounds and distributed 5 assists, but it was insufficient despite the fact that Karl-Anthony Towns signed a double-double (13 points and 12 rebounds), as did Rudy Gobert (11 points and 14 rebounds). Mike Conley came close with 15 points and 9 assists. A true duel of titans.
Only 5 teams in history have lifted a tie after losing the first two games at home. Denver wants to be sixth. Nuggets and Timberwolves will play Game 5 of the series on Tuesday in Colorado.
Anthony Edwards made his first four shots and gave the Timberwolves a lead that reached 7 points. But the Nuggets reacted in time and took the lead at the end of the first quarter (24-29).
Denver continued to grow and started the second period with a 2-11 run (26-41). It was based on a lot of defensive work that Minnesota cut the lead to 7 points with 48 seconds left before halftime, but a triple by Caldwell-Pope, a dunk by Michael Porter Jr. and Murray’s spectacular triple from his own field, at the buzzer , increased the lead for the Nuggets to 15 points (49-64).
The Timberwolves tried tirelessly, but every time they managed to close the gap a little, Denver responded with apparent ease. In a final push, Edwards, who added another 14 points in that third quarter for a total of 37, left the score at 79-90, still with options for the final minutes.
In the final moments, Minnesota went 6 down, the smallest difference since the first half, but the Nuggets once again responded with a dunk by Jokic with 26 seconds left that ended the game. 107-115, tie tied.