DENVER — Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Cities powered Minnesota’s 106-80 blitz of the Denver Nuggets on Monday evening that gave the Timberwolves a 2-0 lead within the Western Convention semifinals over the reigning however reeling NBA champions.
Cities and Edwards each scored 27 factors because the Wolves improved to 6-0 within the playoffs and gave themselves an opportunity to shut out the fuming Nuggets with wins Friday evening and Sunday in Minneapolis.
So dominant had been the Wolves that they’d the Nuggets throwing each suits (Michael Malone) and objects onto the courtroom (Jamal Murray).
Aaron Gordon led Denver with 20 factors, and Nikola Jokic put up 16 factors and 16 rebounds, however their third-leading scorer was sub Justin Vacation with 13 factors. Murray scored eight factors on 3-of-18 capturing.
The Wolves staggered the Nuggets with physique blow after physique blow despite the fact that their beginning heart Rudy Gobert was again dwelling in Minneapolis attending the start of his son on Sunday. However the Wolves did not want Gobert’s shot-blocking prowess and rim safety on this evening to proceed their domination of the Nuggets at Ball Area, the place Denver was 36-8 earlier than their back-to-back losses to Minnesota.
Kyle Anderson changed Gobert within the beginning lineup, and the Timberwolves hounded Jokic and disrupted Denver’s offense simply the identical.
Throughout a 43-18 first-half flourish by Minnesota — Edwards was on the bench for a lot of it, no much less — the Nuggets grew so pissed off that Malone ran approach out onto the courtroom and bought in official Marc Davis’ face for an prolonged blowup throughout a timeout and someway prevented being assessed a technical foul.
Murray, Denver’s ailing level guard, threw a warmth pack onto the courtroom in frustration as Cities was about to attain on a layup within the second quarter. It wasn’t clear if the officers realized it was Murray who threw the article onto the courtroom and never a fan. He’ll seemingly face punishment from the league, nevertheless.
Perturbed by their gradual begins — the Nuggets have trailed by double digits in six of their seven playoff video games and by 9 within the different — Malone challenged his staff to get off to a robust begin for as soon as.
“What are we ready for?” he pleaded after Sunday’s observe.
Solely Gordon heeded his coach’s name, scoring 13 fast factors, together with a 3-pointer that introduced the Nuggets to inside a one-point drawback at 18-17 late within the first quarter.
Issues unraveled for Denver after that, with Jokic the one different starter to attain for the Nuggets earlier than the second quarter. Jokic had simply eight factors by halftime, and Murray, nonetheless bothered by a strained left calf, scored simply two first-half factors for the duo’s worst offensive output in a half this season.
Trailing 61-35 on the break, the Nuggets’ 26-point halftime deficit was Denver’s largest in a house playoff recreation in franchise historical past.
The Wolves led 82-60 after three quarters and cruised the remainder of the way in which.