T-Wolves Storm Back in Second Half to Eliminate Nuggets, Advance to West Finals

Will Laws | May 19, 2024

Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves won the final two games of their conference semifinal series to eliminate the defending champion Nuggets. / Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

The Minnesota Timberwolves are back in the Western Conference Finals for the first time in 20 years after pulling off the largest second-half comeback in Game 7 history on Sunday against the Denver Nuggets. The T-Wolves overcame a 15-point halftime deficit that had ballooned to 20 points early in the third quarter to defeat the defending champions, 98–90.

The victory sends Minnesota to the conference finals for just the second time in franchise history, with the other appearance coming in 2004 behind Kevin Garnett.

Minnesota won despite an off shooting night from star guard Anthony Edwards, who shot just 6-of-24 from the field for 16 points to go along with eight rebounds and seven assists. Edwards did, however, lead a tenacious defensive effort that limited Denver’s usually dominant offense to 37 points in the second half.

“I’m not just a guy who can score. I’m a guy who can go to whoever their best guard is, I can go lock them down,” Edwards said in a postgame TNT interview. “I feel like that’s what I did on Jamal [Murray] in the third and fourth quarter, and that’s what turned the game around.”

The Timberwolves outscored the Nuggets 60–37 in the second half as Denver fell to 0–12 on the year when scoring less than 100 points.

Karl-Anthony Towns led the Wolves with 23 points and 11 rebounds while Jayden McDaniels finished with 21 points. Jamal Murray scored 35 points and Nikola Jokic contributed 34 points, 19 rebounds and seven assists for the Nuggets, but it wasn’t enough to finish off the series on their home floor.

Denver’s loss means that no reigning NBA champion has made it past the second round of the playoffs the following year over the last six seasons.

The Timberwolves will host the Dallas Mavericks in Game 1 of the West finals on Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. ET.