With a victory on the road in game two, the Denver Nuggets tied the Timberwolves series.
Game 4 of the Western Conference playoffs took place in Minneapolis on Sunday night. Nikola Jokic scored 16 of his 35 points in the fourth quarter, while Aaron Gordon added 27 points (11 of 12), helping the Denver Nuggets defeat the Minnesota Timberwolves 115-107
Twelve of Jamal Murray’s 19 points for the Nuggets came in the third quarter. His buzzer-beater swish from behind the half-court line at the half-court line gave the Wolves momentum that allowed them to cut the deficit to two points at the end of the period. Short stretch, competitive match.
With 44 points and 16 of 25 field goals, Anthony Edwards had another outstanding outing for Minnesota. Nevertheless, the Wolves lost to the reigning NBA champions, who were revitalized after dropping the first two games of the series at home, for the second time in a row, even though they had a 42-31 rebounding lead. Murray remarked game 2 definitely woke us up. We realized we can’t stop ourselves.
Game 5 of the series will take place in Denver on Tuesday night.
Rudy Gobert scored 11 points and pulled down 14 rebounds, but he came up late. Mike Conley scored 15 points, Karl-Anthony Towns scored 13 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, but he struggled from the field, finishing 5-for-18. Nevertheless, the Wolves were already behind at home for the second straight game.
Gordon didn’t miss until there was 3:39 left. The last 20 seconds of the first half saw eight points from the Nuggets, explaining Murray’s unlikely advantage.
“Shot-making, play-making, physicality, defense on two All-Stars, they’re being asked to do a lot right now,” coach Mike Malone said. “They have always adored Aaron Gordon, and ever since he put on a Nuggets uniform, the Nuggets have come first. He really is unselfish.”
The Wolves struggled in between Games 2 and 3, losing by 27 points, and coach Chris Finch called them “fat and lazy” even though they had won numerous awards for their play in Denver. The Wolves needed to show off their advantage right on in Game 4 in order to continue roaring, and Edwards led that response with tenacity.
In order to lessen the pressure on Murray and his left hamstring, the 2020 first-round selection scored nine points in the first four and a half minutes of play on Sunday before Murray even touched the ball. Gordon and Jokic shared point guard duties with Murray.
Following a subdued Game 3, Edwards was determined to lead Minnesota to victory since the Nuggets wanted to sweep the series. It was insufficient to place all the blame on him because he was attacked from all directions on the court.
However, the remainder of the group frequently avoided paying the price for leaving Denver unguarded. They failed to make both tip-ins on the rim and threes. Towns missed his first seven shots. Although he never wavered in his effort or defense, he had trouble getting to the hoop, frequently missing open looks and maybe never drawing the fouls he was advocating for.
