Aaron Gordon of the Denver Nuggets dunks the ball while Karl-Anthony Towns of the Minnesota Timberwolves watches during the fourth quarter in Game Four of the Western Conference Second Round Playoffs at Target Center on May 12, 2024 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. | David Berding/Getty Images/AFP
Los Angeles, United States–The defending champion Denver Nuggets outgunned the Minnesota Timberwolves, 115-107, to level their NBA playoff series on Sunday.
The Nuggets, fueled by 35 points from NBA Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic, Aaron Gordon’s 27 points on ruthlessly efficient 11-of-12 shooting and 19 points from Jamal Murray, claimed a second straight win in Minneapolis to knot their best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal series at two games apiece.
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“Now it’s best of three,” Jokic said, adding that the Timberwolves’ stunning victories in games one and two in Denver had only strengthened the defending champions.
“We took a hit and we bounced back and hopefully we can defend the home court now,” said Jokic, looking forward to game five in Denver on Tuesday.
Anthony Edwards lone bright spot
The Nuggets withstood a 44-point performance from Anthony Edwards, but the Timberwolves star just didn’t have enough scoring support despite an energetic effort from the hosts.
Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 13 points but was 0-for-7 in the first quarter, when the Nuggets closed the period on a 14-2 run to seize a five-point lead.
Edwards’ dunk with less than a minute left in the first half cut what had been a 16-point deficit to seven.
Jokic then came up with a steal and fed Michael Porter Jr. for a dunk and Murray grabbed a steal, turned and unleashed a buzzer-beating shot from beyond the halfcourt line that swished through and sent the Nuggets into the break with a 64-49 lead.
Murray scored 12 points in the third quarter to keep the Nuggets in control as early foul trouble sent Jokic to the bench.
Jokic returned to score 16 in the fourth and the Nuggets kept the Timberwolves at bay.