Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – The Minnesota Timberwolves knocked Nikola Jokic’s Denver Nuggets out of the NBA playoffs with a 110-98 win Thursday to claim their first-round series 4-2. Sixth-seeded Minnesota will play the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference semi-finals after completing an upset defeat of third-seeded Denver, who won the 2023 NBA championship.
Three-time NBA Most Valuable Player Jokic top-scored for Denver with 28, but it was not enough to fend off the dogged Timberwolves, who were playing without star man Anthony Edwards due to injury. The clash in Minneapolis was tight throughout, with no team gaining a double-digit lead until the game’s dying moments. The Timberwolves edged the first half, leading 57-50 at the break.
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Jokic roared to life. The Serbian superstar scored 14 points in the third quarter alone to ensure a nail-biting finish. Having already been ejected for unsportsmanlike conduct from game four after a shoving match, Jokic enraged the home crowd by sparking another brawl with Jaylen Clark.
With his Timberwolves leading by five with 90 seconds remaining, Jaden McDaniels sank a long jump-shot for two to rouse the home fans and force a Nuggets timeout. But when play resumed, Denver could only turn over the ball again. McDaniels closed out the win with two free throws, ending his night with a career-high 32 points, to top-score overall.
Edwards — out with a bone bruise and hyper-extended left knee — could return for the Timberwolves’ series with the high-flying Spurs. Fellow Minnesota star Donte DiVincenzo will miss the remainder of the playoffs with a ruptured right Achilles tendon.
© 2024 AFP
