Former No. 1 pick Anthony Edwards is morphing into a superstar this postseason, and the 22-year-old did not put a foot wrong as he helped the Minnesota Timberwolves stun the Nuggets 106-99 at Ball Arena in Denver in Game 1 of their Western Conference second-round playoff series on Saturday night.
Edwards erupted for a new playoff career-high 43 points, which is also the Timberwolves’ franchise postseason record. He also had seven rebounds, three assists, and two blocks, shooting 17 of 19 from the field and 100% (6 of 6) from the free throw line.
Anthony Edwards puts on a show and drops a playoff career-high to lift the @Timberwolves to the Game 1 win in Denver!
Karl-Anthony Towns: 20 PTS (8-13 FGM), 4 REB
Naz Reid: 16 PTS (14 in 4Q), 4 REB
Nikola Jokic: 32 PTS, 8 REB, 9 AST, 3 STLGame 2: Monday, 10pm/et on TNT pic.twitter.com/iirmYPip3j
— NBA (@NBA) May 5, 2024
The Minnesota No. 0 was unplayable all through the game, and his scorching hot form saw him score 25 points in the first half as the tie marked his third career playoff game with 40 or more points.
“Going against the best player in the world is always fun,” Edwards said about facing two-time MVP Nikola Jokic. “Going against the best team in the world is always fun.”
“The whole team, we trust each other,” he added. “It doesn’t matter down the stretch who takes the shot.”
It really didn’t matter down the stretch, as Edwards reiterated, as it was a full-team performance from the Timberwolves, who were marshalled by assistant coach Micah Nori, with head coach Chris Finch watching on from the bench after undergoing surgery to fix the ruptured patellar tendon injury he suffered last week against the Phoenix Suns.
Finch was on crutches and mostly immobile, but the Timberwolves players weren’t, as they shot a whopping 71.1% from the floor in the second half to tear Denver apart, with Naz Reid taking over in the fourth quarter. The reigning Sixth Man of the Year poured in 14 of his 16 points in the final quarter despite coming off the bench as he also set a new playoff career-high.
Karl-Anthony Towns had 20 points, four rebounds, and three assists; Mike Conley ended with 14 points and 10 assists; Rudy Gobert had 6 points, 13 rebounds, and three blocks; and despite Jaden McDaniels going 0-for-7 from the field and finishing with zero points, he had the second biggest plus/minus of any Wolves player in the game with a +14.
1-0. pic.twitter.com/D3nF4DmUsC
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) May 5, 2024
The Nuggets, the defending champions, didn’t have an answer for Minnesota’s size and the pace of Edwards. They were uncharacteristically outrebounded 42–34 and were eaten up in the paint with 52 points to their 42.
Jokic led Denver with 32 points, 8 rebounds, and nine assists; Michael Porter Jr. continued from where he left off in the first round with a 20-point and 6-rebound performance; Jamala Murray, who was the Los Angeles Lakers’ slayer, settled for 17 points; and no other Nuggets player reached the ten-point mark.
“We need to do a better job of making them make tough shots, maybe make the extra pass,” Jokic said after the Game 1 defeat.
Although series is just beginning, but Nuggets fans should be worried as they lost at home despite shooting 46.7% from the floor, 41.9% from beyond the arc, and 80% of free throws. However, adjustments will be made ahead of Game 2, which is scheduled for Monday night at the Ball Arena, and is expected to provide another exciting for fans.
