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Timberwolves trounce Denver to force decisive Game 7

jace frederick, pioneer press
·4 min read

Minnesota fell behind 9-2 in the opening minutes Thursday at Target Center, and it looked like perhaps more of the same was on its way.

Denver had blitzed the Wolves in each of the previous three contests in their Western Conference semifinal series, and the early moments of Game 6 appeared to be following a similar script.

Then the Wolves finally bit back.

Minnesota went on a 20-0 run and never looked back, winning 115-70 in Game 6 to knot the series at 3-3.

“Well, there was two responses. There was the response to the last three games, but the most important response was when we got down 9 to 2,” Wolves coach Chris Finch said. “We did a really good job of focusing and coming back with the right energy, getting our defense in place. They were kinda getting loose in transition was what we talked about. Couldn’t happen. We did a really good job there. Once we get our defense in place, we like our chances.”

The decisive Game 7 will be Sunday in Denver. The time is still to be determined. If the Knicks beat the Pacers on Friday, the Wolves-Nuggets game will be at 2:30 p.m. Central. If Indiana forces a Game 7, Wolves-Nuggets will be at 7 p.m. CT.

That will be the second Game 7 in Timberwolves history — played 20 years to the date after Minnesota topped Sacramento in Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals in 2004.

If Minnesota can play how it did on Thursday, it’ll like its chances.

The Wolves resembled the team that handled the defending champion Nuggets in the first two games of the series. They were vicious defensively, again making Denver fight for inches of space on the floor.

Even when the Nuggets generated good looks, nothing fell. Jamal Murray went 4 for 18 from the field. Michael Porter Jr. went 3 for 9. Nikola Jokic — who dominated Games 3-5 —was just 9-for-19 shooting with two assists.

Denver shot just 30% from the field and 19% from deep as Minnesota built a lead as big as 50 points.

The Wolves were allowed to play with extremely high levels of physicality on the defensive end and took full advantage. Minnesota’s size was finally a differentiator, as the Wolves dominated the paint and the glass. Rudy Gobert grabbed 14 rebounds, Karl-Anthony Towns had 13 and Naz Reid snagged 11.

The Wolves outrebounded Denver 62-43.

They looked more physical, more tenacious and, well, longer than their opponent — AKA, exactly who they’ve been all season.

Somewhere along the way over the past week, they lost that identity. On Thursday, with their backs against the wall, they regained it.

It was exactly what a prophetic Towns predicted Thursday morning after shootaround.

“So tonight is a great night for us to show that unity, that cohesiveness we’ve been talking about before training camp, before (our preseason trip to) Abu Dhabi,” Towns said. “A great chance to also show our brand of basketball defensively and offensively show how when we’re executing at a high level on defense, it can make our offense even better.”

That played out to a “T.” Minnesota forced misses and turnovers, which led to looks against non-stacked Denver defenses. Even in the halfcourt, Mike Conley’s return from a one-game injury absence gave Minnesota an additional shooter and playmaker that balanced out the offense.

Denver was in scramble mode for much of the night, and unlike in Game 5, Minnesota executed with poise and precision on Thursday.

Jaden McDaniels had his best offensive game of the series, tallying 21 points on 8-for-10 shooting. Anthony Edwards was again brilliant, finishing with 27 points.

Conley was asked if Minnesota was motivated by those in the national media who suggested after the three-game losing skid — the Wolves’ first of the season — that this series was over.

“I think this was all internal. I think everybody, back against the wall, you saw the importance of this game just by our preparation the last couple days,” Conley said. “Guys saying, ‘Hey, this is everything we’ve got. Show our cards and make it good enough.’ I think guys really believed in ourselves. We believe we’re that team that won the first two games in the fashion that we did, so we just went out there and did that.”

When Minnesota grew its lead to 36 in the fourth frame, Edwards turned to the crowd and held up seven fingers. In the waning minutes, Target Center busted out a “Wolves in 7” chant that echoed throughout the arena.

Time — and Minnesota’s effort and energy on Sunday — will tell if that prediction comes to fruition.

“Now we got a chance for a Game 7 in Denver,” Conley said, “and we’re going to get ready to go.”

  • The Wolves and the Denver Nuggets will play Game 7 on Sunday in Denver. The time and how to watch are still to be determined, but listen to the game on 100.3 FM.

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