The Minnesota Timberwolves jumped out in front of their Western Conference Semifinals series against the Denver Nuggets with a 106-99 win in Game 1.
The Timberwolves stole homecourt advantage from the Nuggets behind another epic performance from star shooting guard Anthony Edward, who had 43 points in the win.
Edwards was so good for the Timberwolves that he even got some love from another Minnesota sports star – Justin Jefferson:
Edwards has been unconscious during the NBA Playoffs so far and his hot streak continued into Game 1 of the semifinals.
In the first half, Edwards went off for an incredible 25 points on 10-of-17 shooting. The rest of the Timberwolves’ roster combined for only 15 points on 27 shots. Despite the poor offensive play around Edwards, Minnesota trailed by just four points going into halftime.
With improved contributions in the second half, the Timberwolves took control of the game as Edwards continued his offensive dominance. The superstar guard scored 18 points in that span on the way to his playoff career-high 43 points. The only other player in NBA history to score 40 points or more in back-to-back playoff games at 22 years old or younger is Lakers legend Kobe Bryant.
Against the Nuggets, Edwards finished with 43 points, seven rebounds, three assists, one steal and two blocked shots. He shot 17-29 from the field, 3-7 from the 3-point line and 6-6 from the free throw line.
Jefferson had time to take in the game as he and the Minnesota Vikings have paused contract negotiations, due to the NFL Draft.
General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said last week that it’s nothing to be worried about.
“We continue to have great dialogue with their representatives,” Adofo-Mensah said. “The process is still ongoing. We did say, ‘Hey, [let’s pause] a couple days.’ The draft’s coming. They have players they represent. We have our process.”
Anthony Edwards powers Timberwolves to Game 1 win
Edwards outscored all of his teammates in the first half and carried his hot scoring into the second half while the others found their rhythm. Karl-Anthony Towns and Naz Reid both caught fire in the second half. Towns started the third quarter spectacularly, ramping up to an efficient 20 points before getting into foul trouble trying to defend Nikola Jokic.
Naz Reid came in for Towns and stepped up just like you would expect the Sixth Man of the Year to do. Reid tallied 10 straight points for Minnesota in the fourth quarter at a pivotal point of the game. Behind Edwards’ dominance, Towns and Reid’s scoring spurts and their elite defense, Minnesota mustered an impressive 106-99 road win to open the series.
Game 2 between the two teams will be Monday night from Denver.
