Minnesota were 19 points down. They had stumbled through a first quarter to forget in a hostile building, with Denver already smelling 2-0 and total control of the series. The Timberwolves could have folded. Instead, they stood up, beat the Nuggets 119-114 on Monday night at Ball Arena, and headed back to Colorado with their heads high and the series tied at one apiece.
This is a team with a long memory. These are the same Wolves who, two years ago, wiped out a 20-point deficit in Game 7 against these same Nuggets to storm into the Western Conference finals. That was the biggest comeback in NBA playoff Game 7 history. So 19 down? For them, that is barely a problem.
Edwards puts things right
Anthony Edwards had been off in Game 1. He finished with 22 points, plenty of waste, and a sore knee that showed in his movement. Monday night, he was a different player, even if his status was still in doubt before tip-off. He ended with 30 points, a renewed edge, and one simple tactical switch that mattered: attack the rim instead of settling for mid-range looks. “He understood he had to switch into attack mode and get downhill toward the basket,” said coach Chris Finch. “He did it. It was unbelievable.”
Chris Finch on Anthony Edwards: He was awesome, man. It was unbelievable. I think also in that period when we were down, he was great on the bench, you know, great leadership, positive. He recognized he needed to get into attack mode and get downhill a little bit more. You know,… pic.twitter.com/YrKlqeR180
— Nadine Babu (@NadineBabu) April 21, 2026
Julius Randle added a strong 24 points and came up big when it mattered, burying two crucial free throws in the money minutes. Jaden McDaniels chipped in 14 and even named Denver’s “bad defenders” to go after: Hardaway, Cam Johnson, Aaron Gordon. No sugar-coating in the Wolves locker room.
Jaden McDaniels COOKED Jokic and Murray 😭
“Go at Jokic, Jamal, all the bad defenders. Tim Hardaway, Cam Johnson, Aaron Gordon, their whole team.”
Q: “They’re all bad defenders?”
Jaden: “Yeah, they’re all bad defenders.” pic.twitter.com/GNyr1bIZja
— BrickCenter (@BrickCenter_) April 21, 2026
Denver hand it over
And yet this one should have ended very differently for the Nuggets. Denver led 44-25 early in the second quarter, were bullying Minnesota physically, and Jokic was building a monster stat line: 24 points, 15 rebounds, eight assists. Jamal Murray added 30 points, including an absurd 15-metre three at the halftime buzzer to tie it at 64-64. The kind of shot that usually crushes the other side. Minnesota did not break. Minnesota came alive.
The third quarter belonged to Jokic, who scored 16 in the period as Denver moved back in front 93-90. Everything looked like it was snapping back into place for the home team. Then came the fourth quarter, and with it a hard-to-explain statistical mess: Jokic and Murray, the league’s steadiest duo, shot 2-for-12 in crunch time. Two for 12. In the playoffs. At home.
The key moment came with 19 seconds left. Edwards coughed up the ball, Denver had possession, and a chance to tie. Christian Braun went to the line with Minnesota ahead 115-114. He made one, missed the second. Randle then sank both of his free throws, DiVincenzo finished it with a transition dunk, and that was that.
David Adelman wanted Nikola Jokic to shoot late down the stretch, not dump the ball of to Braun.
But the coach says he wasn’t on the floor and with an open teammate Jokic will make the play. pic.twitter.com/hMFGJvASE6
— Jake Shapiro (@Shapalicious) April 21, 2026
“Jokic should have taken that floater,” coach David Adelman said afterwards. “It rimmed out. That happens in this league.” Murray had no excuses: “We had the game. We just didn’t make our shots.”
The series resets, Minnesota wait
Denver are still a proper team. The Nuggets had won 13 straight before this one, and Jokic remains the hardest player on the planet to stop on a basketball court. But Minnesota proved two things in one night: Edwards is back, and this group does not fold when the pressure rises.
The series now moves to Minneapolis for Game 3 on Thursday night. Denver know that if they lose, they will need Game 4 to avoid being pushed to the brink. Minnesota will have the crowd behind them and the momentum, too. Nothing is settled in this series. Which is exactly why we watch the playoffs.
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