It was a Game-7-filled Sunday, and one of the matchups saw the Minnesota Timberwolves emerge victorious over the Denver Nuggets. Down by 20 at one point, the Timberwolves used a huge third-quarter rally to catch up and eventually overcome their foes. Following the game, Anthony Edwards gave praise to one of the team's unsung heroes during the clash.
“If you were gonna hand out a game ball for this effort, who would get it?” TNT's Ernie Johnson asked, during a postgame interview.
“Jaden McDaniels,” Edwards immediately responded, without hesitation.
McDaniels finished with 23 points on an efficient 7-of-10 (70%) shooting from the floor. He also made three out of his four attempts from beyond the arc. Additionally, the forward tallied six rebounds and two steals to his name. And alongside it all, McDaniels continued to do what he's done best throughout the series: play defense.
The Minnesota Timberwolves mount a historic comeback
Looking at the Timberwolves as a whole, they simply overwhelmed the Nuggets in the final two quarters. Before that, however, it looked as if the defending champions were about to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. Jamal Murray had 24 points in the first half, and was the primary reason why Denver built the said 20-point lead in the opening minutes of the third.
Nonetheless, the wolfpack bit back. Edwards finally got Murray's number and caused the Denver guard to struggle. In the final 24 minutes of the game, Murray was 5-of-12 (41.7%) from the floor. Jokic continued to score, but everyone else on the Nuggets seemed to run out of steam. As a team, Denver shot just 4-of-21 (19.0%) from beyond the arc in the second half.
On the other side, it was a team effort. Whether it was McDaniels, Karl-Anthony Towns, or anyone else with a Timberwolves jersey, the ball found itself inside the ring. Minnesota completely turned the tide around, turning a large blowout into a one-point deficit by the end of the third.
The Timberwolves eventually overtook their foes in the fourth. With over three minutes left, Anthony Edwards broke the hearts of Ball Arena spectators by sinking a dagger three to put his team up 10. A putback dunk by Towns and free throws from McDaniels eventually sealed the deal for Minnesota.
Moving forward, they'll be facing the Dallas Mavericks, who boast a formidable duo of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. It'll be another tough task, but being able to dethrone the defending champions shows that the Timberwolves are more than ready for the challenge.
Actually, if one were to be blunt, then Dallas fans might have to worry more than their counterparts about the upcoming games. The Timberwolves look virtually unstoppable, and they're arguably the Western Conference's top team right now.
Follow Us
Subscribe