Nuggets 70 - 115 Timberwolves summary, stats, scores and highlights | NBA Playoffs Game 6
As both teams starters sat, trying to keep fresh for Game 7 the second team came in and the lead went all the way up to 50. A lot of people wrote the Wolves off after Game 5, but this blow out over the defending champions throws this series back into complete chaos and uncertainty.
The Nuggets will look to respond as they head home hoping to continue their back to back title defense. Game 7 is set for Sunday, but no tip off time has been announced just yet.
This was just about the last of the action for Edwards. He ended the night with 27, and if he wasn't taken out for the majority of the last quarter he could have had another 40 point night.
Anthony Edwards was going to need help from his supporting cast and McDaniels came up huge. He had 21 points and hits 8 of his 10 FGs on the night.
The Wolves went into the halftime break up 29 points after this Jaden McDaniels tip in at the buzzer. This game was never in doubt, and it only got uglier as the game went on.
Naz Reid made a huge impact on Game 6, posting a double double with 10 points and 11 assists. Even more than his stats, was his ability to push the pace on the offensive end and help out on Jokic on the defensive end.
After going down 9-2, the Wolves went on a 29-5 run to end the quarter and had the Target Center jumping from the first quarter to the last. Edwards had 14 at the end of the first quarter as Minnesota's defense looked as dominant as it did in the opening two games of the series.
Rudy Gobert was down right embarrassed by Nikola Jokic last game, but he came out and faced his critics while limiting Jokic quiet (22 and 9 assists) and scoring 8 points and pulling down 14 rebounds to help keep his team alive in the Western Conference Semis.
After the first bucket from MIN, Denver scored 9 straight points, but the Wolves would go on a massive run to end the first quarter to take control of the lead and never let go.
The Minnesota Timberwolves didn't just live to see another day, they demolished the defending champions to avoid elimination and set up an all or nothing match up on Sunday. Anthony Edwards led the way, scoring 27 points in the Game 6 win.
After losing the previous three games, and letting an 0-2 lead slip it seemed like Denver had all the momentum coming into Thursday night's game but the Timberwolves were quick to course correct in the first quarter.
IT'S ALL OVER!!!
The Wolves don't just extend the series, they dominated the defending champions.
Strawther with the finger roll and he lays it up and in.
Garza to the line and he hits one of two after the foul on Strawther.
Nnaji slams it home down low.
Garza to the line and he hits both FTs.
Garza to the line after the foul on Strawther and he hits one of two FTs.
Watson to the line after the foul on Minott and e hits one of two FTs.
Garza going to the rack and lays it up and in. MIN are on a 24-0 run and lead by 49!
Morris steps into a three ball from the wing and he sinks it from long range!
Garza drills a three ball from the top of the key and everyone is getting into the action tonight.
Alexander-Walker sticks another three ball and the lead is up to 41!
Timeout Nuggets with 6:45 to go in the 4th.
McLaughlin pulls up from the elbow and he hits it fresh off the bench. MIN have their starters on the bench as well.
Alexander-Walker steps into a three and sinks it from the wing.
Conley dumps it down for Gobert who lays it in and the Nuggets are going to take a timeout down 30 with under 10:00 to go.
The starters have gone to the bench for Denver and it's going to be the second team finishing out the game. Don't want to risk injury in a game that is already over.
Conley dumps it down for Gobert who lays it in and the Nuggets are going to take a timeout down 30 with under 10:00 to go.
Edwards pulls up from the wing and drills the three over Jackson.
Braun streaks through the lane and explodes to the rim for a two handed jam.
Reid to the line after the foul on Jokic and he hits both FTs.
WE ARE HEADED TO THE FOURTH QUARTER AND THE TIMBERWOLVES ARE IN FULL COMMAND TONIGHT!
Jokic to the line and he hits both FTs after the foul on Reid.
Jokic follows up his own miss and tip it in from underneath.
Conley on the step back three ball and the lead is up to 29 points!
KAT to the line after the KCP foul and he hits both FTs .
Murray tries the floater from outside the lane on the left side and gets it to go.
Edwards kicks back to Alexander-Walker and he drills the long ball!
Jokic off the dribble and he scoops it up and in with the left hand.
Reid on the spin in the lane and he gets the jump hook to go.
Murray sticks a three ball and let's see if that gets him going tonight.
Edwards on the step back from the elbow and his back seems to be fine after the hard fall a few minutes ago.
Gordon picks up the loose back at the half court line and lays it up and in.
McDaniels left wide open in the corner and he sinks the three ball!
Timeout Nuggets with 6:39 to go in the 3rd quarter.
Towns backing down KCP and he hits hte jump hook in the lane.
Murray finally gets a three ball to go after going 1/11 on his first 11 FGs of the night.
McDaniels looks down low for Gobert who slams it down with two hands!
Murray zips a pass across the baseline to KCP who sinks the three in the corner.
Edwards is back to his feet and he hits one of two FTs.
Edwards goes down hard after the foul on Porter and he is very slow to get up.
Timeout here from MIN with 9:17 to go in the third quarter.
Edwards shakes Porter off the dribble and power to the rim for the tomahawk slam!
Timeout Nuggets two minutes into the third quarter.
Extra pass from Conley to McDaniels and he hits the corner three ball!
Murray over the top for Gordon on the alley oop.
McDaniels drives baseline and rises to the rim for the slam.
WE ARE BACK IN ACTON FOR THE SECOND HALF FROM MINNESOTA.
Conley is back tonight and he has made a difference. He's got 7 points but he's bringing a calm to this team that was desperatley needed.
Joker is having to do a whole lot just to keep his team in this game. He's got 16 and 5 rebounds.
Edwards came out steaming, and had 14 in the first quarter. He's got 19 at the break on 5/9 shooting.
That defense that we saw in Game 1 and 2 looks back for the Wolves and that's why they are leading this game by 19. They went on a 29-5 run to end the first quarter and they have kept the cushion up until now.
KAT only has 6 points but he's doing everything else for his team. He's got 10 rebounds and four assists at the break.
The Nuggets went on a 9-0 run after seeing the first bucket of the game go in for Minnesota. That would be about the only thing they did in the opening quarter.
Minnesota came into the night knowing they had to come out quick, and KAT was the protagonist to start the night. He created off the dribble getting his teammates involved.
WE ARE AT THE HALFTIME BREAK AND THE WOLVES ARE IN COMPLETE CONTROL!!!
Reid missed the three ball but McDaniels was there to tip it in before the halftime buzzer sounded.
Jokic going back to the lane and gets the scoop to go from the right side.
Jokic with a jumper fro outside the lane.
Jokic on the curl and the lay up after the foul on KAT, that's his third. FT is good.
McDaniels goes between his legs and lays it up off the glass down the lane.
Timeout Wolves with 2:12 to go in the 1st half.
Conley pulls up and hits the mid range jumper and the lead is 22!
Porter down the lane and kicks it out to Gordon in the corner for three!
McDaniels to the line after the foul on Murray and he hits both FTs.
Gobert called for a defensive three seconds and KCP hits the FT.
Conley drills the three ball off the handoff from Gobert!
Porter slices through the defense, lays it up and gets the foul on Reid. FT is good.
Gordon to the line after the foul on KAT and he his both FTs.
KAT follows up the missed floater from Anderson and he puts it back up ad in.
Edwards strokes a three ball with Gordon and Jokic surrounding him and he's got 19 already!
Reid with six straight points and he gets the jump hook to go down low.
Timeout Nuggets with 6:30 to go in the first half.
Reid's lay up was blocked but it came off the backboard before Holiday got there and a goaltending was called.
Reid follows up his own miss and gets the tip in to go.
Edwards going to the line after the foul on Gordon and he hits bot FTs.
Braun with the kick back to Gordon who strings a three ball from the top of the key.
Anderson going to the line after the foul on Braun and he hits both FTs.
Jokic on the offensive board and the put back after the foul on Alexander-Walker. FT is good.
Entry pass from Murray to Jokic down low and he puts it up and in quickly.
Murray finally gets on the board with a finger roll after going 0-5 in the first quarter.
Anderson to the line after the foul on Porter and he hits both FTs.
WE ARE AT THE END OF THE THRID QUARTER AND THE WOLVES LEAD BY 17!
They went down 9-2 but ended the quarter on a 29-5 run thanks to 14 from Edwards, and 7 from McDaniels. Jokic had 6 for Denver and Porter has another 5 in a quarter that they shot just 27.3%
KAT driving down the lane and this time he keeps it and lays it up and in.
KCP gets on to the board with a three ball in the corner.
Murray got his shot swatted on one end and Edwards runs the break and steps into a three ball! 27-2 run for MIN!
Reid picks the pocket of Gordon and he looks ahead to McDaniles on the bounce pass up the floor for the lay up on the break!
Timeout Nuggets with 2:22 to go in the 1st quarter.
Edwards goes right to the rack for the lay up and he's got 11 already!
Jokic finally hits a mid range umper from the FT line and the 20-0 run is snapped.
Edwards to the line after the foul on KCP and he hits both FTs.
KAT down the lane again and again he goes over the top for the alley oop for Gobert! 18-0 run for MIN!
KAT tips it out to the rebound and it falls to Edwards in the corner for three!
Conley gets the roll off the front of the rim on the floater in the lane and the run is up to 13-0 for MIN.
Edwards hits both FTs after the timeout.
Edwards to the line after the foul on Gordon, but the Nuggets are going to take a timeout after a 9-0 run.
Anthony off the dribble and cocks it back before hammering it home!
McDaniels with the second offensive board of the possession and he lays it up and in over Jokic.
Edwards strips Jokic at mid court and he skies for the two handed slam!
McDaniels pulls up and drills a much needed three ball from the corner off the assists from KAT
Kick out from Gordon and he finds MPJ who steps into a three ball and he's already got more points than he did last game.
Timeout T'Wolves with 9:01 to go in the 1st quarter.
Jokic running on the break again, and KCP fed him down the lane for the lay up.
MPJ with a dunk of his own taking his defender off the dribble for the slam down the lane.
Murray on the baseline line in transition and he hits Jokic streaking down the lane for the jam in transition.
KAT draws the D and he lobs it up over the top for the alley oop to Gobert.
WE ARE UNDERWAY FROM MINNESOTA!!!
Nuggets starters
MIke Malone didn' doubt this starting five when team was down 0-2, so why would he doubt them now, up 3-2? It's Jamal Murray, KCP, Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon and Nikola Jokic starting Game 6 for the Nuggets. MPJ didn't have a good game last time out, he doesn't have two off nights in a row. Watch out for Porter Jr. tonight.
Wolves starters
Mike Conley is offically back in the starting five with Anthony Edwards, Jayden McDanile, Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert. Gobert got embarrassed in Game 5, tonight he needs to perform in front of his home crowd, and as always, Anthony Edwards needs to have a huge night.
Reid over Gobert?
This might seem silly. This might seem controversial. This might seem absurd, but I think Naz Reid needs to play more and Rudy Gobert needs to play less. Either him or Karl-Anthony Towns can try to defend Jokic, neither of them are going to do much worse than Gobert did. With Reid on the court, it not only stretches the defense out with his three point shooting, but it speeds the pace of play up both on offense and defense. He’s the Sixth Man of the Year and showed he can produce in the first two games of the series. In Game 2, the T’Wolves gave one of the best defensive performances we have seen this century, and they did it without Rudy Gobert. It’s a tough decision for Chris Finch to make, but opting for Reid instead of the DPOY could be the only way to slow this team down.
Wolves get Conley back
Not only did Nikola Jokic have one of his best game’s of this postseason in Game 5, the Timberwolves were without their starting point guard and most experienced veteran Mike Conley. Conley has been described as the coach on the floor by Wolves head coach Chris Finch, but they were without their field general in Denver. Tonight he is available fo Gam 6 despite battling a sore Achilles. He suffered the injury on the final play of Game 4, and was listed as questionable for tonight’s game.
All eyes on ANT MAN
It’s easy to get caught up in the high flying dunks and clutch late game shots that we are used to seeing on a nightly basis when watching Anthony Edwards. The 22 year old is making his case to be the new face of the league in the coming years, but demanding perfection from him at this young age is a little unfair, and unrealistic. He had 44 in the Game 4 loss at home, but was held to just 18 in Game 5 while shooting 33% from the field. The Wolves live and die with their young superstar, and in tonight’s game from the Target Center, Edwards is going to have to be more than good to beat the Nuggets. He’s going to have to be legendary.
Not Joking around
Nikola Jokic rarely shows much emotion or give us the impression that he is “extra motivated” to win a game. The game comes so easy to him, that often times it doesn’t even look like he’ trying. That’s no knock on him. Quite the opposite. The ease he plays with is borderline unfair. In the Game 5 match up from Denver he came out determined to prove something. He came out wanting to send a message that he is the MVP of the league, and the league’s best defender doesn’t have a chance to slow him down. He had 40 points and 13 assists and didn’t turn the ball over a single time. Like Charles Barkley said last night on Inside the NBA, you’re either supposed to have 40 points or 13 rebounds. You aren’t supposed to have that many points and that many assists. Last game, the Wolves tried leaving Gobert one on one with the Joker, but that didn’t slow him down scoring the basketball or passing the basketball.
Game 5 recap
The Nuggets were back home looking to win their first game of the series at Ball Arena, and Nikola Jokic made sure his team wouldn’t slip up under their home roof again. On a night in which he was presented his third MVP trophy in four years, the Serbian looked like he was out to prove a point against the four time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert. Jokic dominated the Frenchman with 40 points and 13 assists, and he got help all around. Aaron Gordon had another great game with 18 and 10 rebound while KCP and Murray had 16 a piece. Karl-Anthony Towns kept is team in the game until the third quarter in route to dropping 23 points to lead the Wolves, but the Nuggets poured it on in the final 20 minutes of the game and cruised to victory.
We are live from Target Center
Hello everyone and welcome to Minnesota where the Timberwolves are going to have to fixture out how to recover some of the magic of the opening two games of the Western Conference Finals after dropping three straight games for the first time this season. Anthony Edwards and company have been stifled by the defending champions who have showed their experience and composure. Denver took care of business last game getting their first home win of the series in Game 5, and now have a chance to be the first team in the Western Conference Finals if they can beat the T’Wolves tonight from Minnesota.
Nuggets vs. Timberwolves Game 6
It’s a potential elimination night from Minnesota, and the defending chance have a chance to take one step closer to a return trip to the Conference Finals. The Minnesota Timberwolves are back home looking to extend the series to Game 7, but they will have to snap a three game losing streak against the Denver Nuggets who have stormed back from 0-2 down to take a 3-2 lead coming into tonight. AS English will be with you all night providing live coverage, stats, highlights and analysis of tonight’s game from Target Center.