Anthony Edwards has scored 27 points to pull Minnesota out of their mid-series slump and deliver a flawless 115-70 victory over Denver to force a Game 7 in this roller-coaster playoff matchup.
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Jaden McDaniels pitched in 21 points and Mike Conley had 13 points in his return from injury on Thursday (Friday AEST). Big men Rudy Gobert, Karl-Anthony Towns and Naz Reid combined for 38 rebounds and a relentless effort to keep NBA MVP Nikola Jokic to a relatively quiet 22 points.
The decisive game for a spot in the Western Conference finals is in Denver on Sunday (Monday AEST).
The Timberwolves posted the largest winning margin in a post-season game since 2015, when Chicago beat Milwaukee by 54 points in a first-round series clincher.
No defending champions have ever lost in the playoffs by more than 36 points until this flop by the Nuggets, who were out-rebounded 62-43.
"That to me speaks volumes about the game and our approach," Denver coach Mike Malone said.
Jamal Murray struggled again with just 10 points on 4-for-18 shooting for the Nuggets, whose bench was outscored 36-9 -- and seven of those points came in the final five minutes. The Wolves reserves led a 24-0 run in the fourth quarter to take a staggering 49-point lead, a fitting follow-up to the 20-0 surge the starters led in the opening frame.
For the hosts, McDaniels was all over the court going three of five from deep and mixing in some well-timed dunks to ignite the crowd.
Edwards, whose 44-point performance was ultimately wasted in a Game 4 loss the last time he played at Target Center, had that tenacious look of a superstar player refusing to cede the series. He had nine points in the 20-0 spurt and needed only nine shots from the floor to get 19 points in the first half.
In the third quarter, he turned a steal into a fast break before using two crossover dribbles to get Michael Porter Jr. in the air and blow by him for a dunk. A few minutes later, he drove past Porter to draw a foul and landed hard on his back. Minnesota called timeout to give Edwards more time to catch his breath, and when he walked back on the court without missing time the "MVP!" chants fired up.
As a fourth-quarter timeout signalled the start of empty-the-bench time, Edwards helped up seven fingers to the adoring crowd in anticipation of what was coming next.
"Guys just believing in themselves," he said.
"I think the last three games we were all down on ourselves."
Australian Associated Press
