DEFEAT OVER REPEAT for Ex-Champs

By
Lenn Durant
3
 minute read
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DEFEAT OVER REPEAT for Ex-Champs

By
Lenn Durant
5 min read
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Denver Nuggets fans felt good for more than half of the game on Sunday. Comfortable with the defending championship, having a safe lead in their elimination Game Seven against the Minnesota Timberwolves at home. No team had ever returned from more than an 11-point deficit in a Game Seven in the history of the NBA. And with the Nuggets up by as many as 20 points after a 15-point halftime lead, the Western Conference Finals were in clear sight. The Timberwolves’ best player, Anthony Edwards, could have had a better game. Nuggets stars Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray were on fire. But this was no ordinary series. It was historic by NBA standards on many accounts. Both teams had no middle ground, running hot and cold from Game One to Game Seven. But Minnesota had the hot hand to close out the series. The Timberwolves were celebrating only their second franchise appearance in a game seven playoff semifinals. It was twenty years to the day that Minnesota had won a game seven. And they would do it again. Stunning the Nuggets on their home floor for the third time, the Timberwolves mounted the biggest comeback in NBA playoff history with a 98-90 win over the Nuggets. After losing the first two games at home, the Nuggets would win the next three games. But with two chances to close the deal, the Nuggets failed. Game six found the Nuggets trailing by as many as 50 points, an all-time record in NBA playoff history. In Game Seven, league MVP Nikola Jokic finished with 34 points and 19 rebounds, while Jamal added 35 points, but it wasn’t enough. “That was a hell of a series,” said Nuggets coach Michael Malone. “They gave us all we could handle, and they ended up winning Game 7 on our home court, which is a tough one to swallow. But we’ll be back.” Getting the job done for the Timberwolves wasn’t their leading scorer, Anthony Edwards, a.k.a “Ant-Man,”  instead it was their role players, and “Sixth Man of the Year” Naz Reid, and Defensive Player of the Year, Rudy Robert. Karl-Anthony Towns added 23 points and 12 rebounds before fouling out of the game. “It was tough, man, because I couldn’t find myself, my rhythm tonight,” Edwards said. “So, I just had to trust my teammates… I just had to make the right plays throughout the rest of the game. I did that, and my teammates made shots. Big shoutout to those guys.” For the Nuggets, they become the fifth consecutive team to be eliminated in the semifinals the season after winning the NBA Finals. Their 57-25 record was the best in their franchise history. And tied with the No. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder for the best record in the Western Conference. The Timberwolves finished the regular season in third place with a 56-26 record. They go on to the Western Conference Finals to face the Dallas Mavericks.

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