The Minnesota Timberwolves stormed back for a stunning 98-90 victory that eliminated the reigning champion Denver Nuggets in Game 7 of their second-round NBA playoff series on Sunday night. The Wolves went on a 54-24 run in the second half that erased a 20-point deficit and advanced Minnesota to the Western Conference finals. They'll face the Mavericks next round while the Nuggets head home.
Minnesota was helped by clutch fourth quarter performances from Rudy Gobert, Anthony Edwards and 2024 Sixth Man of the Year Naz Reid. They were able to fend off what was a brilliant 34-point, 19-rebound performance from Nikola Jokic as well as a monster 35 point effort from Jamal Murray.
Here are three key takeaways from Game 7:
Timberwolves pull off historic comeback
Throughout the first half and into the third quarter, the Timberwolves' offense was non-existent. Time and again, graphics would flash onto the screen saying that they hadn't scored in five minutes or hadn't made a field goal for three minutes. As the clock ticked under 10 minutes in the third quarter, they still hadn't reached 40 points.
When the Nuggets pushed their lead up to 20 points, it seemed inconceivable that the Timberwolves would win the game. Over the rest of the third quarter, however, they slowly but surely kept chipping away with strong defense, transition buckets and timely 3-pointers. Heading into the fourth, it was just a one point game.
The momentum fully flipped in their favor a few minutes into the final frame when Rudy Gobert threw up a turnaround fadeaway at the end of the shot clock and caught nothing but net. Once shots like that start going in, it just might be your night.
Indeed, it was the Timberwolves' night, as they pulled away down the stretch to complete the biggest Game 7 comeback in NBA history.
Towns comes through in the biggest game of his career
Karl-Anthony Towns is one of the most talented big men of his era, but his career to this point has been full of disappointment and frustration. Though he has often been let down by the organization, he's had plenty of individual miscues.
Game 7 on Sunday was, by far, the biggest game he's ever played. To his credit, he showed up in a major way to get the Wolves to the Western Conference finals for the first time in 20 years, and their second time overall. The only other power forward who has ever done that in Minnesota is Kevin Garnett. That's not to compare the two, but it goes to show the nature of the accomplishment.
Early on, Towns was one of the few Wolves who had his shot going, and his 13 first half points turned out to be extremely important. He added eight in the third-quarter turnaround, and while he only scored one basket in the fourth quarter due to foul trouble, it was a putback slam that essentially sealed the game.
All told, Towns finished with 23 points, 12 rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block on 8-of-14 from the field.
Another champion exits early
The Nuggets only lost four games in the entire playoffs last season as they cruised to the first title in franchise history. While they were one of the frontrunners to lift the trophy again this time around, it was clear immediately that it would not be as easy.
They beat the Los Angeles Lakers in five games in the first round, but trailed by double digits in four of those games and needed two buzzer beaters from Jamal Murray. Then, they lost the first two games at home to the Timberwolves in the second round, and had 26-point and 45-point losses in the series.
Between better competition, a worse supporting cast and a combination of fatigue and injuries, these weren't the same Nuggets as last year. Even if they had survived this series, there were real concerns moving forward. In the end, they did not, and are now the fifth defending champion in a row to be eliminated before the conference finals.
