NBA playoffs: Timberwolves rally from 20-point deficit to stun Nuggets in Game 7, reach conference finals

Nikola Jokić and the Denver Nuggets were poised to close out their series without much of an issue on Sunday night.

They had built up a 20-point lead in the second half and largely shut down Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards, after all. Yet somehow, despite what was a largely awful offensive showing in the first 24 minutes, the Timberwolves pulled off the largest halftime comeback in a Game 7 in NBA history.

The Timberwolves came storming back to stun the defending champions and grab a 98-90 win in Game 7 of their semifinals series at Ball Arena on Sunday night. They outscored the Nuggets 60-37 in the second half while completing a wild 30-point swing.

The win officially sends the Timberwolves into their first Western Conference finals in two decades. The Timberwolves are now a perfect 2-0 in Game 7s in history, too.

“It’s a special moment,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said after the game. “That’s a hell of a team with the best player on the planet, and this series was wild. This game was a microcosm of the series.”

Timberwolves rally after brutal start

After a very slow and defensive start to the game — both teams combined to shoot just 6-of-24 from the field to open the night — the Nuggets finally took off before halftime. They ended up going on an 18-3 run over the end of the first period and the start of the second and took full control of the game. They held the Timberwolves without a field goal for more than five full minutes during that stretch, and then they held them scoreless for the final two minutes of the half to take a 15-point lead into the break.

Jokić had a 15-rebound double-double by that point, while Edwards shot just 1-of-7 from the field.

But somehow, after being stagnant offensively for most of the game, the Timberwolves came alive in the third quarter. After falling behind by 20 points, they mounted a 19-3 run and held the Nuggets without a field goal for more than six full minutes. Denver ended up missing 13 of its last 16 shots to end the third quarter.

Edwards, despite a brutal shooting streak to start the game, drilled a wild step-back 3-pointer over Aaron…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/nba-playoffs-timberwolves-rally-from-20-point-deficit-to-stun-nuggets-in-game-7-reach-conference-finals-023203272.html

Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2024-05-20 02:32:03

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.