Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves top

 

Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves top Nuggets in Game 6, force deciding Game 7

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Anthony Edwards scored 27 focuses to drag the Minnesota Timberwolves out of their mid-series droop and convey a faultless 115-70 triumph over the Denver Pieces on Thursday night to drive a Amusement 7 in this roller-coaster playoff matchup.

Jaden McDaniels pitched in 21 focuses and lockdown defense, and Mike Conley had 13 focuses in his return from damage. Enormous men Rudy Gobert, Karl-Anthony Towns and Naz Reid combined for 38 bounce back and a tenacious exertion to keep NBA MVP Nikola Jokic to a generally calm 22 points.

The conclusive diversion for a spot in the Western Conference finals is in Denver on Sunday night.

Jamal Murray battled once more with fair 10 focuses on 4-for-18 shooting for the Chunks, whose seat was outscored 36-9 — and seven of those focuses came in the last five minutes. The Wolves saves driven a 24-0 run in the fourth quarter to take a amazing 49-point lead, a fitting follow-up to the 20-0 surge the starters driven in the opening frame.

Aaron Gordon had 12 focuses and eight bounce back for the Pieces, who wrapped up fair 7 for 36 from 3-point extend and trailed by at slightest 17 focuses for the final 31 minutes of the game.

For the Wolves, offense from McDaniels is regularly a reward, but he can’t be as calm as he was over the to begin with five recreations with a add up to of 35 focuses. He was all over the court this time, going 3 of 5 from profound and blending in a few well-timed dunks to touch off the crowd.

Edwards, whose 44-point execution was eventually squandered in a Amusement 4 misfortune the final time he played at Target Center, had that relentless see of a genius player denying to relinquish the arrangement. He had nine focuses in the 20-0 spurt and required as it were nine shots from the floor to get 19 focuses in the to begin with half.

In the third quarter, he turned a take into a quick break some time recently utilizing two hybrid spills to get Michael Watchman Jr. in the discuss and blow by him for a dunk. A few minutes afterward, he drove past Watchman to draw a foul and landed difficult on his back. The Wolves called timeout to allow Edwards more time to capture his breath, and when he strolled back on the court without lost time the “MVP!” chants terminated up.

As a fourth-quarter timeout signaled the begin of empty-the-bench time, Edwards held up seven fingers to the revering swarm in expectation of what was coming next.

The Wolves were habitually in confuse on offense amid Amusement 5 in Denver whereas Conley sat out with soreness in his right calf muscle, and the 17-year experienced point protect clearly made a difference keep the half-court sets fresh and organized in his return.

The Wolves held the Chunks to 14 focuses in the to begin with quarter, tied for the second-lowest add up to in the association this postseason behind Miami (12 focuses) in a Amusement 3 misfortune to Boston in the to begin with round.

Murray had a demon of a time doing anything beneficial against McDaniels and the rest of the NBA-leading defense that snapped to life after uncovering a few sizeable splits over the past three games.

Murray, who had a 3-for-18 clunker in Amusement 2, attempted everything from leaners, fadeaways and spot-up 3-pointers. He indeed air-balled a finger roll from the standard, at that point got supported down in a terrible matchup by Naz Reid in the post on the ensuing ownership for a flip-in that put the Wolves up 43-24

McDaniels tipped in a missed 3-pointer by Reid at the halftime buzzer to make it 59-40, a sharp differentiate from the 55-foot wash Murray had at the conclusion of the moment quarter in Amusement 3 to cap an 8-0 run over 20 significant seconds of that challenge.