The Minnesota Timberwolves stayed alive in the 2024 NBA playoffs with a dominant 115-70 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Thursday night in Game 6 of their second-round series. The Wolves led by 17 at the end of the first quarter and never looked back as they forced Game 7 against the reigning champs in their first home win of the series. Their 45-point win was the second largest by any team facing elimination in NBA history.
Anthony Edwards had a game-high 27 points and was a plus-43 in 33 minutes -- tied for the fifth-best mark for any player in the playoffs in since the 1996-97 season. Jaden McDaniels was an efficient 8 for 10 from the floor for 21 points.
Nikola Jokic had 22 points on 9-of-19 shooting and just two assists. The NBA MVP missed all four of his 3-point attempts. Denver shot an abysmal 30.2% from the floor and became the first team to score 70 or fewer points in the playoffs since the Grizzlies in 2016.
Game 7 is set for Sunday in Denver.
Here are three takeaways from the Wolves' big win.
Minnesota meets the moment
After looking outmatched for the past three games, the Wolves started Thursday night with a 9-2 deficit thanks to a lack of energy and inability to keep the Nuggets out of transition. Head coach Chris Finch called a quick timeout, and the Wolves were a different team after that. They played the suffocating brand of defense that made them look virtually unbeatable in the first two games of the series, and the intensity translated to the offensive end, led by Anthony Edwards' tremendous individual performance.
Minnesota also moved the ball like crazy, with every rotation player recording at least one assist. The Nuggets consistently double-teamed Karl-Anthony Towns to force him to make decisions, and the big man answered by making the right pass nearly every time, dishing out a postseason-high five assists compared to just one turnover.
Had the Wolves lost four straight and been eliminated by the defending champs, the offseason would have taken on a much more somber tone despite their strong year. Now, even if they fall in Denver on Sunday, the energy and fight they showed on Thursday night will undoubtedly lead to more positive vibes.
Shutting down Jokic
After putting up one of the best offensive games in NBA playoff history on Tuesday, Nikola Jokic was held under wraps in Game 6 thanks to an altered strategy from the Wolves. Conventional thinking is that you need to decide whether to make Jokic a scorer or a passer when designing a defensive scheme, and after what they saw in Game 5 (along with the accompanying criticism of four-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert), the Wolves clearly elected to choose the latter.
They sent double teams early and often, which can be poison against the Nuggets given Jokic's passing ability, but on Thursday it worked to perfection. With Murray having a rough game and the shots not falling for Denver, Jokic was held to just two assists in 35 minutes -- his lowest postseason total since 2021.
Jokic is never one to change his game based on the defense, so you can expect to see him take the same approach in Game 7 if the Wolves employ a similar approach. In a win-or-go-home situation, however, the Nuggets' supporting cast could be much more effective in Denver on Sunday when the passes come their way.
Murray misery
Jamal Murray is the owner of some of the best individual moments of the postseason so far, but Thursday night was certainly not one of them. The dynamic guard went 4-for-18 from the field, just never able to get anything going against Minnesota's host of long, strong, active defenders. Even when it looked like Murray was getting something going in the second half that he might be able to carry into Sunday, he followed it up with a couple of bad bricks.
Murray has been dealing with a calf injury for most of the postseason, and it's clearly affected him sporadically throughout this series. He settled for a lot of jumpers on Thursday, unable to find pathways to the rim.
NBA.com
Needless to say, the Nuggets need Murray to be elite if they're going to win this series (and possibly beyond). A big night from him on Sunday is essential, since you know the Wolves will play like they've got nothing to lose.
Updates
(12)
See New Posts
Pinned
Link copied
FINAL: Timberwolves 115, Nuggets 70
(Series tied, 3-3)
See you on Sunday. And yes, that score is correct. The Timberwolves shook off a rocky start to absolutely dismantle the Nuggets and force a Game 7 back in Denver. There's not much use talking about this game, as Minnesota ratcheted up its defense while solving all of Denver's defensive tactics en route to absolute domination. Anthony Edwards got help from everyone on his team, and they have the momentum heading into the champions' house for Game 7 on Sunday.
Notable stats:
Anthony Edwards: 27 pts, 4 reb, 4 ast, 3 stl
Jaden McDaniels: 21 pts,4 reb, 2 blk
Karl-Anthony Towns: 10 pts, 13 reb, 5 ast
Nikola Jokic: 22 pts, 9 reb, 2 ast
Aaron Gordon: 12 pts, 8 reb, 4 ast
Jamal Murray: 10 pts, 5 ast, 4-18 FG
Pinned
Link copied
End of 3rd quarter - Timberwolves 86, Nuggets 61
Well folks, mark your calendars for Game 7 on Sunday. The Wolves are well on their way to a victory, and we may not see the stars for much longer in this one. Everything that can go wrong has gone wrong for Denver, with pretty much the exact opposite true of Minnesota. The Wolves defense has been incredible, and the energy they've played with is palpable.
Notable stats:
Anthony Edwards: 24 pts, 4 ast, 3 stl
Jaden McDaniels: 21 pts,4 reb, 2 blk
Karl-Anthony Towns: 10 pts, 13 reb, 5 ast
Nikola Jokic: 22 pts, 9 reb, 1 ast
Aaron Gordon: 12 pts, 8 reb, 4 ast
Jamal Murray: 10 pts, 5 ast, 4-18 FG
Pinned
Link copied
All Wolves all the time
Minnesota has shown absolutely no signs of slowing after its tremendous first half, and the Nuggets' spirit may be broken as they look toward a potential Game 7 on Sunday. Even the few open looks Denver has generated aren't going down, while the Wolves are capitalizing on every opportunity. This looks a lot like the first two games of the series, with the Wolves utterly dominant.
Pinned
Link copied
Edwards with the dunk
Pinned
Link copied
Halftime - Timberwolves 59, Nuggets 40
The Wolves shook off a rough start to thoroughly dominate the first half as they attempt to avoid elimination in Game 6. The defense has been absolutely suffocating, and they've bullied the defending champions in the paint on the other end. Anthony Edwards has been the alpha, scoring 19 points in the first half, while Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray have been held (relatively) under wraps. We'll see if the Wolves can keep up this tremendous energy and activity in the second half.
Notable stats:
Anthony Edwards: 19 pts, 2 reb, 1 ast
Jaden McDaniels: 13 pts, 2 blk, 1 stl
Karl-Anthony Towns: 6 pts, 10 reb, 4 ast
Nikola Jokic: 16 pts, 5 reb, 1 ast
Michael Porter Jr./Aaron Gordon: 8 pts each
Jamal Murray: 2 pts, 3 ast, 1-10 FG
Pinned
Link copied
Murray, Nuggets ice cold
Denver is getting some decent looks, but just hasn't been able to knock anything down. Jamal Murray has struggled the most, going just 1 for 10 from the field amid some strong Wolves defense. Overall, the Nuggets are shooting 26% from the field and have gone 3 for 18 from 3-point range. Not going to get it done in a road closeout game.
Pinned
Link copied
Wolves dominating the paint
Minnesota is getting bucket after bucket in the paint, exploiting their size advantage any time a smaller Denver player gets switched onto a big. They've weathered the storm of Denver's attempted comeback early in the quarter, settling things down and pushing the lead up to 19 with Nikola Jokic sitting on the bench.
Pinned
Link copied
End of 1st quarter - Timberwolves 31, Nuggets 14
After a 9-2 start by the Nuggets, Game 6 has been ALL Timberwolves, who finished the quarter on a 29-5 run. The energy picked up considerably, and Minnesota looks to be playing the kind of defense that suffocated Denver in the first two games (the Nuggets are shooting 27% from the field). The champs are on their heels, but we've seen them come back from much larger deficits than this.
Notable stats:
Anthony Edwards: 14 pts, 2 reb
Jaden McDaniels: 7 pts, 2 blk
Karl-Anthony Towns: 4 pts, 7 reb, 3 ast
Nikola Jokic: 6 pts, 3-8 FG
Michael Porter Jr.: 5 pts, 1 blk
Jamal Murray: 0 pts, 0-5 FG
Pinned
Link copied
Wolves run up to 20-0
Pinned
Link copied
Wolves pick up intensity
After Chris Finch's early timeout the Wolves have looked like a different team, and it starts with their energy. Their focus defensively is much more on point, doubling Nikola Jokic most of the time and trusting their rotations. Offensively, they're attacking the rim and making quicker decisions, which as led to their 9-0 run. We've got a fun one on our hands.
Pinned
Link copied
Nuggets come out firing
Denver has some serious spirit to start this one, getting out in transition for a couple of baskets for Nikola Jokic and scoring six of their first nine points in the paint. The Wolves have missed a couple of opportunities near the rim, which they simply can't do against a Nuggets team that's been clicking on all cylinders.
Pinned
Link copied
Mike Conley IN for Game 6
CBS Sports HQ Newsletter
We bring sports news that matters to your inbox, to help you stay informed and get a winning edge.
By pressing sign up, I confirm that I have read and agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge Paramount's Privacy Policy.
