NBA
Anthony Edwards willed the Minnesota Timberwolves to a Recreation 1 victory over the defending champion Denver Nuggets on Saturday at Ball Enviornment.
Edwards scored 43 factors within the 106-99 win. In his 16 profession playoff video games, he now has three 40-point video games. There have been two different mixed such video games in franchise historical past (each by Sam Cassell in 2004).
Commercial
At 22 years and 273 days, Edwards turns into the second-youngest participant in NBA historical past with consecutive 40-point playoff video games after scoring 40 versus the Phoenix Suns in Recreation 4 of the first-round sweep. Solely Kobe Bryant (22 years, 269 days in 2001) did so at a youthful age. In that playoff run, Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers gained the second of three straight titles.
Anthony Edwards. CLUTCH 💰 pic.twitter.com/lTvLiqGxJz
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) May 5, 2024
Collection: Minnesota leads 1-0
Recreation 2: Monday in Denver
Edwards was the very best participant in a sequence that included Kevin Durant. He can’t be the very best participant in a sequence that features Nikola Jokić, can he? CAN he?
In Recreation 1, he was. Edwards hit all method of Jordanesque jumpers down the stretch to place the Timberwolves up 1-0 on the defending champions and the presumptive MVP. He additionally grabbed seven rebounds and iced the sport with a coast-to-coast drive to the basket within the closing seconds to cap a jaw-dropping efficiency.
The Timberwolves’ greatest likelihood to win this sequence figured to be a strength-in-numbers method. They definitely received different contributions, together with 20 factors from Karl-Anthony Towns and 16 from Naz Reid, 14 of them coming within the fourth quarter. However Edwards drove the win. He made 17 of 29 photographs and the Nuggets had no reply for him. If he’s the very best participant on this sequence, the Timberwolves are in nice form. — Jon Krawczynski, Timberwolves beat author
GO DEEPER
Wolves-Nuggets opener exhibits Minnesota was constructed to cease Jokić
Making Jokić and Jamal Murray look mortal has been nearly not possible during the last 5 years.
However the Timberwolves did simply that on Saturday night time. It wasn’t that Minnesota made Murray and Jokić inefficient. Each have had troublesome capturing nights up to now, with the identical stage of affect. It’s that Minnesota dulled their total imprint. Each struggled to make performs down the stretch. Each tried to take Recreation 1 over at varied factors and failed to take action. Each tried to placed on the superhero cape they’ve so typically been capable of put on, and Minnesota wouldn’t enable them to do it.
Commercial
Monday’s Recreation 2 must be extra balanced from the Nuggets. Jokić, Murray and Michael Porter Jr. mixed to attain 69 factors. The remainder of the Nuggets mixed for 30 factors. At this stage of basketball, that form of lopsided offense isn’t going to get it carried out on most nights. Denver is at its greatest when everyone seems to be concerned. Jokić is at his greatest when he will get everybody concerned. His numbers have been good on Saturday night time, with 32 factors, 9 assists and eight rebounds. However he had seven turnovers and shot 11 of 25 from the sector, the place he’s often extra environment friendly.
The Nuggets can drive a 1-1 sequence tie with a victory Monday after which must get no less than one in Minneapolis to take dwelling court docket again within the sequence. — Tony Jones, NBA employees author
GO DEEPER
Nuggets juggernaut stumbles in Recreation 1 dwelling loss to Timberwolves
(Picture: Justin Tafoya / NBAE through Getty Photos)
Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth protection of your favourite gamers, groups, leagues and golf equipment. Strive every week on us.