Minnesota Timberwolves surprise Denver Nuggets once more, resulting in a 2-0 series advantage.
The Nuggets were powerless against the electrifying pairing of Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns from Minnesota, both scoring 27 points in their convincing victory.
The Timberwolves had to deal with the absence of Rudy Gobert, a Defensive Player of the Year nominee, who missed the game due to the birth of his baby, but their defense remained strong, limiting Denver to a 34.9% shooting percentage.
As the series moves back to Minnesota for two matches, the T-Wolves are well on their way towards their first Western Conference Finals in twenty years.
According to ESPN Stats and Information, only five teams in NBA history have managed to come back and win a best-of-seven series after losing the first two home games.
After the match, Towns expressed his appreciation for being in this situation while also acknowledging the importance of their next games, "We're incredibly grateful and fortunate to be in this position of going home up 2-0, but we're also humble in our approach. We know that while we've put ourselves in a great position, if we don't perform well during our home stretch, it can quickly turn disastrous. So, we simply need to go out there, take care of business, play defense well, and execute even better than before, because the reigning champions are not someone you can take even a minute of laxness from."
Despite facing a potent Timberwolves defense - the best in the NBA throughout the regular season - which has been meticulously refined by head coach Chris Finch, Denver's deadly duo of Jamal Murray and two-time MVP Nikola Jokic struggled all night.
Murray, Denver's hero with two game-winners in the preceding round against the Los Angeles Lakers, scored a mere eight points on a meager 16.7% shooting, while Jokic put up a double-double with 16 points and 16 rebounds, along with eight assists, but shot an unimpressive 5-of-13 from the floor.
Murray could have also been penalized for a technical foul for throwing a heat pad onto the court during the second quarter while the game was still going on, but the officials overlooked the incident.
Aaron Gordon led Denver's scoring effort, putting up 20 points.
The series now switches to Minneapolis for Game 3 on Friday.
Brunson powers Knicks to victory in Game 1 against Pacers
Jalen Brunson became the fourth player in NBA Playoff history to have four consecutive 40-point games, amassing 43 points in the New York Knicks' 121-117 triumph over the Indiana Pacers in Game 1.
Brunson poured in 21 points in the fourth quarter to help the Knicks erase a nine-point deficit.
Donte DiVincenzo scored 25 points, including a crucial go-ahead three-pointer with 40 seconds left, while Josh Hart added 24 points, 13 rebounds, eight assists, and three steals.
The Pacers' Miles Turner tallied a team-high 23 points, but Tyrese Haliburton's postseason woes persisted as he scored only six points in the loss.
There were numerous disputed officiating decisions towards the end, including a call for a kicked ball on Pacers' forward Aaron Nesmith that clearly hit his hand, and Turner's questionable call for an illegal screen.
The two teams return to Madison Square Garden for Game 2 on Wednesday.
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Source: edition.cnn.com
