The Minnesota Timberwolves made history by staging the largest comeback ever in a Game 7 of the NBA playoffs, overcoming the reigning champions, the Denver Nuggets, with a 98-90 victory. This impressive feat happened on Sunday night, marking a remarkable moment in NBA history.
Initially, the Timberwolves were down by 20 points in the second half and trailed by 15 points at halftime. However, they fought back with determination. Anthony Edwards, who had a quiet first half with just four points, no rebounds, and three assists, finished the game with 16 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists. Despite his poor shooting performance, Edwards made crucial contributions in the second half, including waving goodbye to the Denver crowd as the game concluded.
Karl-Anthony Towns and Jaden McDaniels were also influential in the Timberwolves’ victory, each scoring 23 points. This win propels the Timberwolves to the Western Conference finals for the first time in 20 years, where they will face the Dallas Mavericks starting Wednesday at Target Center.
The Nuggets, who were the defending champions, saw their hopes of reaching the conference finals dashed. Jamal Murray was a standout for Denver, scoring 24 points in the first half and helping the Nuggets to a 53-38 lead at halftime. His three-pointer early in the third quarter extended the lead to 58-38.
The Timberwolves’ renowned defence turned the tide, closing the third quarter with a 28-9 run, narrowing the gap to 67-66. Rudy Gobert then scored to give the Timberwolves their first lead since the first quarter. When Towns picked up his fifth foul, Naz Reid, the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year, played a crucial role, contributing on both ends of the floor.
A key moment came when Reid made two free throws and a dunk before assisting Edwards for a crucial three-pointer, putting the Timberwolves ahead 92-82 with three minutes remaining. Despite Murray’s 35 points and Nikola Jokic’s 34 points, 19 rebounds, and seven assists, the Nuggets could not reclaim the lead.
This Game 7 was Minnesota’s first since their victory over Sacramento 20 years ago, which was also their only other trip to the conference finals. Denver, on the other hand, was in their fifth Game 7 in the past six seasons and missed out on what could have been their third conference finals appearance in that span.
Nuggets coach Michael Malone had anticipated a close game but acknowledged the unpredictability of the series, which ended in a dramatic fashion with the Timberwolves’ historic comeback.