Wolves 98, Nuggets 90: Rocky Mountain High (2024)

Here it is, Game 7. Possibly the most pivotal game in the history of the Minnesota Timberwolves franchise.

It has already been an incredible season for the Wolves. They won a playoff series for the first time in 20 years along with the second-most games in the regular season in franchise history but, the Timberwolves aren’t satisfied with just that, as they look to take down Nikola Jokić and the defending champion Denver Nuggets.

“We’ve had a great season,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said pre-game. “These guys have done a great job of coming together, leaning on an identity, and playing for each other, but we don’t feel like our work is done so we’re excited tonight to get a win.”

Sunday at Ball Arena marks an incredible opportunity for this Wolves team. 20 years to the day since they won their first Game 7 and advanced to the Western Conference Finals, the Wolves, with a win, could host Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals on Wednesday. A loss means the season is over again at the hands of the Nuggets.

Unlike the previous five games of this series, the game would start with neither team pulling away from the other. The Timberwolves defense would pick up where they left off in Game 6 as they would hold the Nuggets to just five points over the first five and a half minutes of the game.

The Wolves would take an early four-point lead heading into the first media timeout after this tough bucket from Jaden McDaniels.

With the Nuggets loading up to stop Anthony Edwards, sending two at him any time he has the ball, the rest of the Timberwolves offense needed to make plays after Ant gets off the ball. Naz Reid would do just that, opening up the bench scoring for the Wolves with this beautiful relocation for the three from the corner.

After a very poor performance in Game 6, Jamal Murray would come out of the gates strong in this first quarter, scoring 13 points in the frame including back-to-back 3-pointers to give the Nuggets a 24-19 leading into the first-quarter break and recover from a 1/5 start from the floor.

The Nuggets would start the second quarter strong, scoring the first six points of the quarter leading to a Timberwolves timeout. Combined with the end of the first quarter, it would be a 14-0 Denver run, giving them an 11-point lead.

During the run, the Timberwolves offense would go silent, missing six straight shots including a nearly five-minute stretch without a point.

The Nuggets lead would grow as high as 14 points as Murray continued his fantastic play. Karl-Anthony Towns would keep the Wolves in it, scoring seven points in about two minutes to cut the Denver lead back to 10.

The Nuggets would again make a surge to close out the quarter, scoring the final five points to close out the first half to take a 53-38 lead. Murray and Jokić were sensational, 37 combined points on 14-27 shooting. They would score or assist on 19 of Denver’s 20 points to close the first half.

The Timberwolves were led in scoring by Towns who had 13 points off 5-6 shooting and kept the Wolves in the game when the rest of the Wolves were struggling on offense.

Edwards struggled the entire first half to find good shots. He would finish the first with four points, making only one of his seven shots. The Nuggets brought two to the ball each time Edwards touched the ball and he was unable to find good shots.

One of the main factors for the Denver lead in the first half was rebounding. Denver would outscore the Wolves on second-chance points 14-2 with Jokić accounting for seven of those points.

With the Timberwolves down big, and the Nuggets record as one of the best clutch teams in the NBA, the third quarter would be pivotal if the Wolves have any chance of winning this game.

With the Timberwolves down as many as 20 points early in the second half, they would begin to climb back in the game with a 21-3 spanning over nine minutes of the third quarter, cutting the lead to just two.

After a couple of tough baskets from Jokić and a step-back 3-pointer from Ant right before the buzzer, the Timberwolves would finish the third quarter 28-14 advantage, causing them to only be down 67-66 heading into the final quarter of this series.

The Timberwolves would carry that strong play to start the fourth quarter as they would go on an 11-5 run to take a five-point lead.

The game would go back and forth with the Wolves carrying a five-point lead into the final five minutes of the game. From that point, the Timberwolves would surge ahead, in part thanks to a thunderous jam from Naz Reid.

After an Anthony Edwards 3-pointer, the Timberwolves would take a 92-82 lead with just over two minutes left, cementing a 30-point turnaround over 20-minutes in the second half.

That would prove to be enough as the Minnesota Timberwolves win Game 7 by a score of 98-90 and are headed to the Western Conference Finals.

Karl-Anthony Towns was spectacular, scoring 23 points on 8-14 shooting. KAT kept them in it when the offense couldn’t get going in the first half and was an invaluable part of the defensive plan all series. Jaden McDaniels added 23 points after scoring 21 in Game 6, marking the first time in his career he went for 20+ in back-to-back games. He also put his name in the same conversation as Michael Jordan.

Anthony Edwards had a tough game scoring only 16 points on 6-24 shooting. While he may not have had the best shooting night, Ant stayed composed the entire game. He dished out seven assists, only had one turnover, and controlled the ball down the stretch of the game.

Jamal Murray led the way for Denver with 35 points on 13/27 shooting, while Nikola Jokić was right there with him scoring 34 points to go along with 19 rebounds, seven assists, and a block. No other Nugget had more than seven points.

Minnesota held Denver to 90 points 41.0% shooting, 8/33 (24.2%) from downtown, and only 18 assists. The Wolves held the Nuggets under 100 points in all four of their wins in this series, including to 90 or fewer three times.

Key Takeaways

Photo by C. Morgan Engel/Getty Images

Timberwolves Advance to the Western Conference Finals

After falling behind by 15 at halftime and by 20 early in the third quarter, the Minnesota Timberwolves stormed back with an incredible second-half performance throughout which they held an electric Denver Nuggets offense to only 37 points. It marked the largest comeback from a halftime deficit in NBA Game 7 history.

There were many points at which the Timberwolves chances of winning the series looked rough. Whether it was when they fell behind 3-2 after Game 5, or when they were down big in this one, the Timberwolves faith that they could win this series never wavered.

“I don’t think we were ever worried, that’s the crazy part.” Naz Reid said in the locker room post-game. “I laugh about it cause all of us have that feeling they we aren’t worried. It’s a game of runs so when we were the ones down 20 we weren’t worried.”

Chris Finch said on the podium about what it took to come back from being down so many points against the defending champs.

“The effort was there. Our offense kinda went sideways in the first half and they really upped their defense. They were really physical. We just talked about getting back to simplifying our offense.”

Timberwolves teams of the past might have wavered in that spot. Down by 20 points against the defending champs in the biggest game of the season and possibly the franchise is not a spot the Minnesota Timberwolves have found success.

“It takes a lot to win on the road against a team like Denver.” Mike Conley said. “Historically they don’t beat themselves. We had to go up another couple levels to even have a chance.”

This Wolves team is different from any of the past 20 seasons. They have responded to all adversity thrown their way and have come out stronger on the other side. They did it again Sunday night in Denver, quickly erasing a huge deficit to secure a Game 7 win on the road.

Photo by C. Morgan Engel/Getty Images

Karl-Anthony Towns Rewriting the Narrative of his Career

Before this season, KAT was known as a player that couldn’t get it done in the big game. His emotions would get the best of him and he would not perform up to the level the Timberwolves needed him to be at.

All of that has changed this postseason as Towns has been sensational throughout these playoffs. In the darkest moments of this game, he saved them by being one of the only scoring threats on the floor while guarding the best player in the world on the other side of the court.

Finch spoke after the game about the level of play Karl has shown and what it means that he’s doing all of it for a franchise and a city he’s been with for so long.

“I think it means a lot. I think you see how at peace and happy he is right now. He had to trust that he was never gonna be marginalized. All young players think they can do it themselves but nobody can. He’s been on many teams where he’s had to do a lot and he has incredible skill to do so.

Finch continued with the areas in which KAT has excelled this postseason.

He’s really bought in to doing all the other things we need him to do. Last series he guarded Durant, this series Jokić. Score and play through him when the moment is there.

Ant also spoke on the podium about what KAT’s performance meant to the team.

He made all the right plays tonight. He only took 14 shots. He’s always super efficient from the field and he carried us tonight. Every time we needed a bucket he was there for us.

This playoff run to the Western Conference Finals and hopefully beyond has cemented Karl-Anthony Towns as a player who can excel in the playoffs when put in good spots with teammates who support him on and off the court.

KAT has answered all the questions his critics have of him and more. While he passed the torch of the best player on the team to Edwards long ago, he has still found ways to provide immense value for the Timberwolves.

Karl would later reflect postgame on the podium on what this playoff run has meant to him.

“I’ve been here nine years. I’ve talked about wanting to win and so something special here. For all the failures and all the things that didn’t materialize and the disappointment that comes with that. Even just for this moment, we get to celebrate the wins.”

Photo by C. Morgan Engel/Getty Images

Wolves Fans Abound in Denver

Timberwolves fans were all over Ball Arena on Sunday for Game 7. While they were obviously outnumbered, “Let’s Go Wolves” chants could be heard during positive stretches from the Wolves.

All the players and coaches took notice of this support and let it fuel them during the second half. Naz Reid talked about what the support meant for him and the team.

“They’ve been with us the whole series. That’s dope. We had like our own section there and they were going against the whole stadium. It’s good to have that support in an away arena, that’s super dope. I appreciate it and I’m sure everyone else appreciates it.”

Finch echoed that statement, thanking the fans for all the support.

“Really like to say thank you to our road support, both Phoenix and here. A ton of Wolves fans in the building. I know that they’re enjoying the ride. We really appreciate their support.”

Timberwolves fans will need to continue that support as they will host the Dallas Mavericks for Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals at Target Center, where it is sure to be a raucous environment.

Rotation

Up Next

The Timberwolves will host Luka Dončić, Kyrie Irving, and the No. 5 seed Dallas Mavericks for Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals on Wednesday at 7:30 PM CT. Fans can watch on TNT as Kevin Harlan, Reggie Miller, Jamal Crawford and Allie LaForce continue to call the games.

All Western Conference Finals games will be on TNT with that crew.

• Game 2 — Friday, May 24 at 7:30 PM CT — Target Center
• Game 3 — Sunday, May 26 at 7:00 PM CT — American Airlines Center
• Game 4 — Tuesday, May 28 at 7:30 PM CT — American Airlines Center
• Game 5* — Thursday, May 30 at 7:30 PM CT — Target Center
• Game 6* — Saturday, June 1 at 7:30 PM CT — American Airlines Center
• Game 7* — Monday, June 3 at 7:30 PM CT — Target Center

*if necessary

Highlights