NBA playoffs: Timberwolves rally from 20-point deficit to stun Nuggets in Game 7, reach conference finals

Nikola Jokić and the Denver Nuggets looked like they were going to close their series out without much of an issue on Sunday night. After building up a 20-point lead in the second half on thier home, there wasn’t much of a question about it.

But somehow, despite what was a largely awful offensive showing in the first half, the Minnesota Timberwolves rallied with just enough time to spare.

The Timberwolves came storming back to stun the reigning league MVP and the Nuggets at home to grab a 98-90 win in Game 7 of their semifinals series. That officially knocked the defending champions out of the postseason and sent the Timberwolves into their first Western Conference finals series in two decades.

The Nuggets managed just 37 points in the second half as a team. They’re now 0-12 on the year when scoring less than 100 points. The halftime comeback by Minnesota is the largest in a Game 7 in NBA history, too.

Timberwolves rally after brutal start

After a very slow, defensive start to the game — where both teams combined to go just 6-of-24 from the field to open the night — the Nuggets finally took off near the end of the first quarter. They ended up going on an 18-3 run over the end of first quarter and into the second while holding the Timberwolves without a field goal for more than five full minutes.

Though Minnesota bounced back briefly, the Nuggets held them scoreless for more than two minutes again to close out the half and take a 15-point lead into the break. Jokić had a 15-rebound double-double by that point, too, and there was very little the Timberwolves seemed able to do to stop him. Anthony Edwards, on the other hand, shot just 1-of-7 from the field in the first 24 minutes.

But somehow, after being stagnant offensively for most of the game, the Timberwolves came alive in the third quarter. After falling down by 20 almost immediately, they mounted a 19-3 run and held the Nuggets without a field goal for more than six full minutes. They ended up missing 13 of their last 16 shots to end the third quarter.

Edwards, despite a brutal shooting streak to start the game, drilled a wild step-back 3-pointer over Aaron Gordon to cut the deficit to just a single point at the end of the period. That capped a 28-9 run.

The Timberwolves didn’t stop there, either. They kept a step ahead of the Nuggets well into the fourth quarter. Rudy Gobert even sank a fadeaway jumper early in the period.

Then Naz Reid showed out to close out the night. He pulled off a ridiculous put-back dunk over Jokić in the final minutes to put the Timberwolves up by seven before he set up Anthony Edwards on a fast-break 3-pointer just seconds later. Just like that, a 30-point turnaround was complete, and the Timberwolves were in complete control of the game.

Though the Nuggets didn’t go away, the Timberwolves held on in the final minute to officially seal the eight-point win.

Karl-Anthony Towns led the Timberwolves with 23 points and 11 rebounds in the win. Edwards had 16 points, all but four of which came in the second half, and eight rebounds and seven assists. Jayden McDaniels finished with 21 points. The Timberwolves shot just 10-of-34 from behind the arc as a team and less than 40% from the field as a unit, too.

Jokić finished with 34 points, 19 rebounds and seven assists. He shot just 2-of-10 from behind the arc.

Timberwolves to take on Mavericks in Western Conference finals

Now that they’ve beaten the defending champions, the Timberwolves will now advance to the Western Conference final where Luka Dončić and the Dallas Mavericks are waiting.

The on Saturday night in Dallas. Dončić put up his third-straight triple-double while leading the Mavericks to the 4-2 series win, which officially eliminated the top-seed in the Western Conference. The Mavericks are now in their second conference finals in the past three seasons.

Game 1 of the Western Conference finals is set for Wednesday night in Minneapolis. It will be the Timberwolves’ second ever appearance in the conference finals. They fell in the 2004 series to the Los Angeles Lakers.

This post will be updated with more information shortly.