Andrew LopezESPN
MINNEAPOLIS — Anthony Edwards wasn’t able for his season to be over. And he without a doubt wasn’t able for the Denver Nuggets to ship the Minnesota Timberwolves packing with out successful a recreation of their first-round line.
“I don’t ever want to say I got swept in my career,” Edwards mentioned Sunday evening. “So I definitely took it personally tonight.”
With their backs in opposition to the wall, the eighth-seeded Timberwolves took ailing the top-seeded Nuggets 114-108 in extra time to steer clear of the sweep and ship the line again to Denver with the Nuggets well-known 3-1.
It seemed like the Timberwolves have been getting to cruise to victory overdue within the recreation as they took a 12-point govern on an Edwards jumper with 2:52 difference, drawing a timeout from Nuggets educator Michael Malone.
From there, Denver completed legislation on a 12-0 run to ship the sport to extra time and tranquility the Goal Middle trustworthy.
The Nuggets strike 3 consecutive 3-pointers — one through Nikola Jokic and two from Michael Porter Jr. — and later Jokic strike a jumper within the lane with 48.9 seconds left to trim Minnesota’s merit to 96-95. With 12.7 seconds left, Jokic used to be fouled and strike one in every of two detached throws to fix the sport.
Edwards had a probability to win the sport in legislation however used to be stripped through Kentavious Caldwell-Pope as he rose for a shot within the ultimate seconds.
“At that point it was like, [there’s] nothing we can do about the last two minutes. But we can control the next five,” Timberwolves veteran level cover Mike Conley mentioned. “Let’s come out here as a group and lock back in on what we did to get that lead.”
Regardless of completing with a team-high 34 issues on 12-of-27 taking pictures, Edwards used to be crucial of his play games within the fourth quarter and his general recreation typically.
“I played terrible if you ask me,” Edwards mentioned. “I took three bad 3s, three terrible possessions, and I damn near shot us out the game. I didn’t play that good tonight.”
Edwards used to be 1-of-5 within the fourth quarter, along with his soar shot to place the Timberwolves up 12 his handiest produce. He overlooked 3 pictures previous to that — even supposing one used to be a midrange 2-point effort — earlier than additionally lacking the possible recreation winner on the finish of legislation.
With the win in hand, Edwards mentioned he is aware of what he’d do otherwise if the Wolves are in that status once more.
“If we’re up six or eight with three minutes, I’m definitely getting downhill to the rim or getting a midrange shot,” Edwards mentioned. “I’m not going to settle. I settled for three bad, bad, terrible 3s, and it won’t happen again.”
Edwards strike either one of his pictures within the extra time length, with each coming at heavy moments. First, he strike a layup with 1:29 left to stretch Minnesota’s govern to seven. However next the Nuggets scored on 3 consecutive possessions, the Wolves have been once more staring ailing a possible meltdown.
However with 11.5 seconds to play games, Edwards with a bit of luck stepped right into a 3-pointer next a juiceless crossover dribble to provide the Wolves a four-point govern.
“I wasn’t passing the ball,” Edwards mentioned. “I was taking the shot. I was going to live with whether I lost us the game or we won. And I ended up hitting the shot.”
“I don’t ever want to say I got swept in my career. So I definitely took it personally tonight.”
Anthony Edwards
Presen Edwards’ shot put the Wolves up with ease, he known as Nickeil Alexander-Walker the “MVP” of the sport.
With Jaden McDaniels out as a result of a damaged proper hand, Alexander-Walker has picked up the project of guarding Nuggets megastar Jamal Murray. However it used to be Alexander-Walker’s offense that helped come to a decision the sport overdue.
Regardless of lacking all 3 of his 3-point makes an attempt to that time, Alexander-Walker got here via with two back-to-back nook 3s in extra time to provide Minnesota the govern and later push it to 5.
“Shot ready,” Alexander-Walker mentioned when requested what he used to be considering because the ball used to be handed to him overdue. “I know the rotations, watching a lot of film. Just stayed prepared. I know my teammates are going to rely on me because they’re making that right play. And just being confident in my work, trusting it and knowing that eventually the law of averages, the shots have to fall.”
Malone used to be crucial of his crew’s defensive efficiency within the extra time length. Nearest his crew held the Timberwolves to only 16 issues within the fourth quarter, Minnesota had 18 within the 5 mins of extra time.
“The hardest thing to stomach about this game is that we were unwilling and unable to get necessary stops,” Malone mentioned.
In line with ESPN Stats & Data analysis, the Timberwolves changed into the primary crew to attain extra issues within the first extra time length of a recreation than they did within the fourth quarter because the Phoenix Suns in Sport 6 of the 2006 playoffs (21 in OT, 17 within the fourth quarter) in opposition to the Lakers within the first around.
A part of what allowed Minnesota to get its offense going once more used to be ball motion. The Timberwolves had two assists month going 7-of-19 from the garden within the fourth quarter however assisted on 4 in their six baskets within the residue length.
“I think we got to continue to get into something,” Wolves educator Chris Finch mentioned. “I think that’s part of the problem is we get down [on ourselves] or we’re trying to close out the game too early.”
Edwards persisted his superior postseason run, and Finch mentioned the All-Big name cover is development off what he began a era in the past. In his first 10 profession playoff video games, Edwards has scored 280 issues. That’s the 7th maximum of any participant of their first 10 playoff video games since 1979, in the back of handiest Michael Jordan, Luka Doncic, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Trae Young and Allen Iverson.
It used to be Edwards’ 5th 30-point recreation in the ones 10 video games. The one participant with extra 30-point playoff performances at generation 21 or more youthful is James. Edwards destitute a fix with Kobe Bryant with 4.
When requested about being in the similar dialog as the ones two legends, Edwards used to be fast to disregard it.
“It’s just stats,” Edwards mentioned. “Those guys have won championships … but I haven’t done anything. I haven’t made it out of the first round. It’s great to be mentioned with those guys, but I still have work to do.”
