As Mike Conley lets the last 20 seconds of the match pass, there is no profusion of joy among the Wolves. Anthony Edwards calmly comes to shake the hands of Rudy Gobert, then of Karl-Anthony Towns. The men of Minnesota appear to be on a mission. Tonight they hit hard by regaining home advantage from the first match on the grounds of the title champions (99-106).
A success – the 5th without losing since the start of this campaign – which bears the mark of their inevitable rear. With his 43 points, Anthony Edwards, who remained on a 40-point outing in Phoenix, set a franchise record in the playoffs. An individual explosion all the more remarkable as both teams defended strongly, particularly in the first half, with the visitors still limiting their opponents below the 100-point mark.
It should be noted that Anthony Edwards and the Wolves were the first to strike, signing a 9-0 from the start, transformed into 18-4, with 13 points already for the MVP of the evening, after seven minutes of play. game. Seven minutes during which the Nuggets offense did not exist. We think of this sequence in transition where Jamal Murray was not able to trigger, nor was Michael Porter Jr., held too well on the outskirts by Rudy Gobert. His pass ended in the stands.
But this same Porter Jr. was going to come and support Nikola Jokic to finally put Denver on the right track. While Reggie Jackson made a good entry, the Serb began to gain the upper hand on the interiors opposite. Not without difficulty, because throughout the evening, Jokic had to work a lot to score (32 points on 11/25 shots, 9 assists and 7 lost balls).
Murray silent at the break; Edwards with 25 points
The Nuggets took a short lead (44-40) with Jamal Murray without a single point, a first for him in the playoffs over a half. Edwards already had 25 points on the clock. To avoid falling into absolute dependence, Karl-Anthony Towns made a big start to the second half and Mike Conley showed his usual composure, while Murray woke up.
A one-possession game set in. When Mike Conley scored again from distance, Jamal Murray responded instantly (80-80 eight minutes from time). But six minutes from time, an unexpected hero emerged from his box, Naz Reid (read below). In its wake, Minnesota took a two possession lead. A gap made worse by an unexpected runner from Rudy Gobert, then a marvelous jumper from Edwards (91-102).
Nikola Jokic and Michael Porter threw out their last strength, the same Edwards overtook the entire Nuggets defense looking to foul him in the final seconds. Minnesota had its first victory in this series which promises to be exciting.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– The Spark Naz Reid. When the two teams were tied a few minutes from the end (84-84), the Wolves signed a terrible 18-7. During this sequence, the best substitute of the year scored 10 points in a row for his team. Almost non-existent for three quarters, the 6th man exploded in the last quarter, scoring 14 of his 16 points in this period. With obvious confidence, like his winning basket converted at the end of the possession with the board, or his tap dunk in stride, after a miss from Edwards in transition.
– Chris Finch behind Micah Nori. We knew that his presence on the Wolves bench was becoming clearer, it remained to be seen in what form. Three days after his operation, Chris Finch was present that night, sitting throughout the evening on a chair located between his bench and the scorer's table, in the second row, so that he could extend his leg. In the background, the Wolves coach saw his assistant Micah Nori take care of the rest, on timeouts or rotations. At the end of the match, he returned to the locker room using crutches.
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How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive rebound; T = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Pts = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
