DENVER — Anthony Edwards scored a playoff career-high 43 points, Naz Reid had 14 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter and the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets 106-99 in Game 1 of the second-round series Saturday night.
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Anthony Edwards News
Edwards was unstoppable in the first half, scoring 25 points, and Reid took over in the fourth quarter. Karl-Anthony Towns had 20 points despite dealing with foul trouble.
“The whole team, we trust each other,” said Edwards, who was 17 of 29 from the floor. “It doesn’t matter down the stretch who takes the shot. … I trust my teammates.”
Edwards is coming off a 40-point performance to close out the Phoenix Suns in Game 4 of that first-round series. He joins Kobe Bryant in 2001 as the only players with consecutive 40-point games at age 22 or younger in NBA postseason history, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. (Anthony Edwards)
Game 2 is Monday night in Denver.
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Three days after undergoing knee surgery, Timberwolves coach Chris Finch was on the bench in the second row, next to the scorer’s table and behind assistant coach Micah Nori, who did the instructing and roaming off the bench.
“All the plays we scored on were my calls and the ones that we didn’t were his,” cracked Nori. “[Finch] was great. He was like, ‘We don’t want to make it clunky,’ is the term he used. We did a good job of that.” (Anthony Edwards)
Two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic had 32 points, 8 rebounds and 9 assists for Denver, but also had seven turnovers. Jamal Murray scored 17 points after being held scoreless in the first half. (Anthony Edwards)
Tied at 84, the Timberwolves went on an 18-7 run to break it open. Reid had 10 straight points for the Timberwolves at one point during the pivotal stretch.
Last year, the Wolves were a tough first-round opponent for Denver despite being without Reid (broken wrist) and Jaden McDaniels (broken hand) and with Karl-Anthony Towns coming off a severe calf strain that had cost him 52 games. This time, not a single Timberwolves player was listed on the injury report.
Aside from being healthier, the Timberwolves were much better thanks to the dramatic improvement in Edwards’ game, Denver coach Michael Malone suggested. (Anthony Edwards)
“There’s no weaknesses in his game,” Malone said. “And it’s going to be a hell of a challenge trying to slow him down.”
Especially when he has so much help.
“Naz Reid got going. Karl-Anthony Towns got going. Mike Conley got going — where Anthony Edwards carried the day in that first half,” Malone said. “But the second half I just felt not nearly enough discipline and physicality and they were able to get whatever they wanted.”
drops 43, Timberwolves steal Game 1 in Denver
Timberwolves News
The Timberwolves still haven’t lost in these playoffs.
Anthony Edwards poured in a game-high 43 points and Sixth Man of the Year Naz Reid came up clutch in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter as the Timberwolves beat the Denver Nuggets 106-99 in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinal series Saturday night in Denver. (Anthony Edwards)
Edwards hit what was an essentially game-sealing jumper with 1 minute, 36 seconds remaining that put the Wolves up 102-91 in a game that previously saw little separation.
That wasn’t the end of the Nuggets, though, as Nikola Jokic, who tallied 32 points, nine assists and eight rebounds, hit a 3-pointer that cut their deficit to six with just under a minute remaining.
But the 11-point margin proved too much for Denver to overcome.0
Edwards made a pair of free throws and a layup in the final minute to officially seal the deal.
With just under six minutes left, Reid hit a 3 off the glass as the shot clock was expiring to put Minnesota up 87-84. Then he threw down a monster putback slam off a missed transition 3 from Edwards. Then he drilled another 3 to put the Wolves up 94-88 with just under five minutes remaining. (Anthony Edwards)
Reid finished with 16 points and four rebounds.
The Timberwolves couldn’t have gotten off to a better start, opening the game on an 18-4 run. But the Nuggets quickly showed why they’re the defending champs, going on a 13-0 run of their own and eventually taking a two-point lead by the end of the first quarter of play.
In the end, Edwards was the best player on the court when the Timberwolves needed it most. And Reid provided a much-needed offensive burst in a game that was neck and neck down the stretch. The Wolves did the hardest thing — and most important thing — they needed to do to win this series: steal a game on Denver’s home court. They’ll have a 1-0 series lead with Game 2 slated for Monday.