Minnesota put up a title-caliber fight Tuesday in Target Center with a short-handed roster on the second half of a back to back, pushing the defending champs to the brink.
In the end, it wasn’t enough, as soon-to-be MVP Nikola Jokic and sharpshooter Michael Porter Jr. landed a few haymakers that finally knocked the Wolves out of Denver’s 115-112 victory in a pivotal Western Conference showdown.
But you can’t knock Minnesota’s effort. Even down eight points in the final two minutes Tuesday, the Wolves scratched and clawed to the very bitter end. The game ended with Anthony Edwards putting up an open look from just beyond the arc at the horn that just hit front iron.
The Wolves were sans their three centers — Karl-Anthony Towns, Rudy Gobert and Naz Reid. They won a thriller Monday in Utah.
Denver was off Monday and fresh off a heart-breaking loss Sunday against Dallas.
Tuesday’s contest had all the makings of a Denver runaway.
And, for one half, it looked to be heading in that direction. Not that Minnesota played poorly over the first two quarters, but Denver’s size — with Jokic and Aaron Gordon — overwhelmed Minnesota, and Denver led 70-55 at the break.
But Anthony Edwards fueled another run in the third, scoring 14 in the frame to put Minnesota back in front. By the end of the quarter, Denver was double-teaming the 22-year-old the second he touched the ball. It was the only way to douse his inferno that ignited the Target Center building and the team.
The undermanned Wolves were flying around defensively and confidently attacking on the offensive end.
Edwards finished with 30 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Jaden McDaniels put forth one of his best performances of the season, finishing with 26 points and six rebounds while serving as a defensive menace. Mike Conley scored 13 points, all in the fourth.
Everyone else played their tails off defensively, battling Denver’s size advantage with shear will and physicality. Everything about the performance reeked of the 2021-22 team and its style of play that captured the hearts of basketball fans around the state.
Jokic had 35 points and 16 rebounds — and he hit a few massive shots down the stretch — but the Wolves flustered the world’s best player for a large portion of the final two quarters.
In the end, it is still a loss, one that gives Denver a leg up in the Western Conference standings as Minnesota, Denver and Oklahoma City continue to jostle for the No. 1 seed with the playoffs fast approaching.
But if Minnesota continues to play as it did Tuesday, it will put itself in a good position when all the wins are tallied after 82 games.
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