Two Western Conference rivals reunited tonight in an important battle for Western supremacy. After a tough and hard-fought game through the first three quarters, the Denver Nuggets were in a position to win the game down the stretch… before late-game heroics from Anthony Edwards made the Timberwolves victorious (final score: 119-116).
Edwards finished with 29 points in the game, along with 4 rebounds and 4 assists (11-23 FG). He made a runner with 26 seconds left that put the Timberwolves up and sealed their third win of the season. It was another masterful display from Edwards and fans were quick to give him praise after the buzzer.
Timberwolves newcomer Julius Randle showed his worth with 23 points, 7 assists, and 6 rebounds on 61.5% shooting. He was -14 in the contest but his scoring allowed the Timberwolves to stay close and mount the comeback that won the game.
“Real ball knowers knew Randle on Minnesota was gonna be elite,” a fan posted on X.
The Timberwolves are now 3-2 on the season and sit at 9th in the standings. While it’s still too early to say how this season will pan out, this latest win has become another piece of evidence to convince fans that the Timberwolves are a rising dynasty in the West.
“That was a gut-check performance by the Timberwolves,” said a fan on X. “Gave up big leads twice but finished it out, and while a lot of people clown on Rudy, his rim protection is ELITE.”
On the other side, while the Nuggets mounted a good defense, they could not stop the onslaught from Edwards and the Timberwolves who were simply one step ahead when it mattered the most. Aaron Gordon was the game’s leading scorer with 31 points but he also contributed 11 rebounds and 2 assists in 38:03 minutes. Nikola Jokic had 26 points (8-15 FG) and 13 assists while Michael Porter Jr. turned in his best game of the season with 26 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals on 11-18 shooting.
“That’s a really really really bad Nuggets loss,” wrote one X user bluntly.
Jamal Murray’s struggles continued on Friday after scoring just 6 points on 2-7 shooting. He left early due to a concussion but his decline in play has been happening for a while now. He’s been a shell of himself all season long and as his shooting slump continues concern is rising among the fans that he will ever return to the state he was in 2023, when the Nuggets won the championship.
“My thoughts, if Jamal Murray doesn’t produce at the level of other top NBA guards, while also getting cooked by them defensively… the Nuggets window is closed,” declared a nervous Nuggets fan. “I think he will play his way into shape and be fine by the playoffs but it is worrisome.”
On social media, fans had a lot to say about the Nuggets, who couldn’t get the win tonight amid growing uncertainty. While they showed flashes of greatness tonight, it wasn’t enough to settle the doubt and worry among fans that their title window is closing.
“The Nuggets had a chance tonight to send a message after last year’s Game 7. It looked like they had finally exorcised the demons of the last 5 months,” wrote one fan.” But once again, they failed to protect a lead in crunch time – something that is very uncommon in the Jokic Era.”
When the Nuggets and Timberwolves met in the Western Semi-Finals, nobody expected Jokic and company to get bullied on their home floor and lose the series.
Now, it’s the Timberwolves who are favored to win and tonight showed the reality that these squads are headed in totally different directions.
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