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
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