Timberwolves 97 - 112 Nuggets summary, stats, scores and highlights | NBA Playoffs Game 5

The MVP put the cherry on top of the Game 5 win and his unbelievable night with this step back over the Defensive Player of the Year. He finished the night with 40, 7 and 13 assists as the Nuggets moved to within a win of the Conference Finals. 

Game 6 is Thursday at 8:30 ET, and the Nuggets will have a chance to do something that has only been done five other times in the history of the NBA: win a series after opening with two straight home losses. 

Anthony Edwards was locked down by the Denver defense that kept throwing double teams on him all night. The Nuggets turned the Wolves over 14 times and kept them constantly under pressure with Mike Conley sidelined with an Achilles injury. 

At the beginning of the third quarter, the Wolves went on an 11-3 run to take the lead but Denver punched back with an 11-2 run of their own. That put them in the lead and kept them in the lead for the rest of the night. 

On a night that Nikola Jokic received his third MVP trophy in front of his home crowd, he would go head to head with the Defensive Player of the Year and he dominated him. Like we said, it looked personal, and it came at the cost of Rudy Gobert. 

Jamal Murray has been quiet in this series, and was silent in the first half, but he came alive in the second half. He finished the night with 16 points and 5 assists. 

The Nuggets went to the halftime break up six points, and even though it seemed like they were dominating, the Wolves were hanging around. That would change in the second half. 

A lot of people are doubting the Nuggets bench this season, but Cristian Braun has something to say about that. He had 10 points and 5 rebounds, and like Gordon brought all sorts of energy off the bench. 

In the first two games in Denver, the Nuggets were out hustled, out worked, and out played but Aaron Gordon made sure that wasn't going to happen in Game 5. He was getting after every loose ball, every rebound and locking down on the defensive end. 

Aaron Gordon had another fantastic night to follow his 27 point Game 4. He brought energy all night while dropping 18 points and 10 rebounds. 

There were a couple of plays Jokic made that made you think that he was coming into Game 5 with a little extra juice. We don't see Nikola dunk too often, much less throwing it down with two hands. 

Nikola Jokic looked like he had something to prove in the Nuggets biggest game of the year. He had 12 points in the first quarter to set the tone and give Denver the lead after the first quarter. 

The Denver Nuggets rattled off their third win in a row to take command of the Western Conference Semis on Tuesday night from Ball Arena. NIkola Jokic had an outstanding night going for 40, 7 rebounds and 13 assists. 

The Nuggets had all the momentum coming into Game 5 after sealing back to back wins in MInnesota and came out ready for a heavy weight fight on Tuesday night. It wasn't just Jokic. The rest of the Nuggets stepped up in what was the biggest game of the season so far. KCP had 16 points and as always, made his impact felt on the defensive side of the ball.

IT'S ALL OVER!!!

The Denver Nuggets rattle off their third straight win and take home court back with a 3-2 series lead in the Western Conference Finals. 

Edwards gets to the paint, dumps it off for KAT who lays it up and in. 

Murray drives right down Main Street and lays it up off the glass. 

Gobert to the line and he hits one of two FTs after the foul on Murray. 

Murray stop in the lane, turns and hits the fader. 

Gobert on the push shot from outside the lane. 

Murray with a pump fake in the corner, takes a dribble and hits the mid range off the glass. 

Jokic felt the shot clock winding down and drills the three ball over Gobert! That's 40 for the three time MVP!

Timeout Nuggets with 3:09 to go in the 4th quarter. 

Edwards pulls up and hits the shot from outside the paint. 

Gordon with the mid range jumper and he goes glass from the wing. 

KAT at the line after the foul on Porter and he hits one of two FTs. 

Reid running the break and he gets the off balanced scoop lay up to go from outside the lane. 

Alexander-Walker punches back with a three ball of his own. 

Braun steps back from the top of the key and drills a three ball. 

Towns backing down Porter and gets the jump hook to fall. 

Edwards going to the rack out of the timeout and he gets the lay up to go off the baseline drive. 

Murray strips Edwards and finds Jokic wide open down the floor for the fast break slam!

Timeout Wolves with 7:11 to go. 

KCP with another three ball, this time from the other corner!!

KCP in the corner off the Murray dish from the baseline and he strings it!

Edwards flying down the lane and smashes it down with one hand!

Timeout Nuggets with 9:30 to go in the 4th quarter. 

Gobert to the line after the foul on Holiday and he hits both FTs. 

Reid slashes to the cup and finishes with a flush. 

Gordon starts the quarter with a lay up at the iron. 

WE ARE HEADED TO THE FOURTH QUARTER AND THE NUGGETS LEAD BY 14!

Jackson gets into the paint and floats it up over Gobert. 

Gobert saw the seas split and took it for the finger roll. 

Gobert sends Jokic to the line and he hits both FTs. 

Gobert fighting for the offensive rebound and he puts it back up and in. 

Jokic off the dribble and flipped it up in a mass of bodies, some how it goes and he gets the foul! FT is good. 

Morris goes hard to the iron and lays in up in traffic. 

TImeout Nuggets with 2:31 to go in the 3rd quarter. 

Jokic swivels around Gobert and scoops it up off the glass. 

Edwards gets the runner from outside the lane to fall and gets the foul from behind on KCP. FT is good. 

Edwards puts it on the deck and slices through the defense for the lay up off the glass. 

Gordon goes back to the line after the foul on Gobert and he his both FTs. Both of the fouls came on plays that would have been highlight reel dunks. 

Gordon to the line after the foul on Reid and he hits both FTs. 

Murray to the line after the foul on McDaniels and he hits both FTs. 

Jokic taking Reid to the basket and he gets the lay up to go. That's eight straight baskets for DEN. 

Edwards to the line after the foul on Porter and he hits both FTs. 

Jokic blows past Gobert and lays it up after getting a wide open path to the bucket. 

McDaniels missed the lay up but got the rebound and slammed it back home. 

Jokic turns and hangs it high off the glass with the jump hook fro the block. 

KAT on the pick and roll with Gobert, lobbing it up to the big man for the alley oop. 

Jokic with the rebound and long outlet pass to Murray who was wide open for the slam!

DEN follow up an 11-3 run from MIN, with an 11-2 run of their own. Timeout MIN with 7:16 to go in the third quarter. 

KCP steps into a three ball and sinks it to ignite this crowd again!

Towns puts it on the deck and lays it up off the glass. 

Jokic running down the lane and lays it off for Gordon who comes soaring in. for the slam. 

Murray drives down the right side of the lane and lays it up off the glass with a defender on his back. 

Gordon missed the reverse lay up but followed his miss and tipped it back in. 

KAT drives down the lane and slips it off to McDaniels for the slam! 

Timeout Nuggets just over two minutes into the second half. 

McDaniels in the lane and gets a tough fader to drop in traffic. 

Porter punches back with a catch and shoot three from the top of the key. 

Towns drills a three ball in the corner and just like that the Wolves are up 1 on a 7-0 run to start the quarter. 

Edwards to the line after the foul on Jokic and hits both FTs. 

KAT follows up his own miss and tips it back in to start the third quarter. 

Braun has 7 off the bench and at the moment the Nuggets bench is out performing the Wolves, 11-7. 

The energy plays made the difference in the second quarter and that's why the Nuggets lead by 6. Gordon had this tip slam and then Braun came off the bench and sparked a run. 

KAT had to go to the locker room early in the game after clashing knees with KCP, but he came back and has been the Wolves best player so far. He's got 11 points and 5 rebounds all on a sore knee. 

Gobert has been no match for Jokic tonight. Jokic has 19 points and 8 assists in the first half and is getting what he wants when he wants. 

Aaron Gordon was the MVP of Game 4, and tonight he's got six points, but has ignited Ball Arena with energy plays throughout the first half. 

Edwards has just 5 points and is 1/8 from the field. You can't keep him down for four quarters, and the Nuggets know he's going to come out of the break swinging. 

Alexander-Walker got the start with Conley out of the game with a sore Achilles, and he got hot from DT early. He's got 11 after two quarters. 

Anthony Edwards did not have a dominant first half, but the Wolves trail by just 6. That means the rest of the guys stepped up for Minnesota. McDaniels got the first bucket of the night for MIN, and has 5 at the half. 

Murray has struggled in this series, and he's not doing much through the first half, but he's prone to getting hot in the second in these playoffs. He's got just 4, 1, and 1 assist. 

The Nuggets came into the game with the wind in their sails after two win in Minnesota and KCP got things going to start the night. He's got 7 at the half. 

WE ARE AT THE HALFTIME BREAK AND THE NUGGETS LEAD BY 6!

Murray down the lane and the tear drop falls with Edwards breathing down his back. 

Alexander-Walker hits the shot on the lane and he's in double digits tonight. 

Jokic dribbles under the bucket and spins around to hits a tough shot over Gobert. 

Alenxander-Walker drills a three ball from the corner and he's keeping his team in the game. He's got nine all from DT. 

The call is reversed and the Nuggets get the ball, and Jokic laces a three out of the timeout out!

KCP was called for a foul on Edwards, but the Nuggets are going to challenge the call. 

Jokic running the break and he finds Braun slashing to the bucket for the slam!

TImeout Wolves with 3:10 to go in the first half!

Morris drives down the lane and ges the floater to fall. 

Jokic slips it across the baseline for Gordon who springs to the cup for the slam. 

Braun underneath, and he gets the bucket and the foul on McDaniels. FT is no good. 

KAT get the roll off the mid range jumper from the wing. 

Braun beats everyone down the floor after the KAT bucket and lays it up and in. 

KAT with the floater from the baseline out of the timeout break. 

Timeout Nuggets with 5:58 to go in the 1st half. 

Gordon picks up the loose ball around mid court and skies for the transition slam!

Murray finds Jokic down low and he shields off his defender for the easy lay up. 

Morris pulls up from the top of the key and hits it from inside the arc. 

The Wolves have been called for three charges in three straight possessions after the Malone technical. 

Murray missed the step back, but Gordon came flying through for the tip slam!

Braun to the line after the foul on Reid and he hits one of two FTs. 

KAT is in the locker room after taking a hit to his knee in the first quarter. He tried to run it off, but went to the locker room at the quarter change. 

Gobert barrels over Holiday and he slams it over him as he fell to the floor. 

Malone got T'd up looking for an offensive foul and Edwards made the FT. 

Gobert starts the quarter with a slam and get the whistle on Braun. FT is no good. 

We are at the end of the first quarter and the Nuggets lead by two after a back and forth first quarter. 

Jokic has 12, and KCP has 7 while Towns has 7 and Edwards has 4 in a quarter that the Wolves went 5/9 from DT. 

Towns gets the inbound pass in the paint and finishes with a jump hook. 

Jackson knifes down the lane and finishes it off the glass with the reverse lay up. 

Entry pass from Jokic to Jackson who turns and puts it up off the glass quickly. 

Alexander-Walker catches and shoots from downtown off the dish from Edwards. 

Jokic hits the FT out of the timeout. 

Jokic tips the entry pass to himself and skips around Reid for the lay up and one!

TImeout Wolves with 2:14 to go in the 1st quarter. 

Anderson pulls up from the FT line and gets the roll off the front of the rim. 

Reid to the line after the foul on Holiday and he hits one of two FTs. 

Jokic with the kick out to KCP and he answers back with a three ball!

Edwards with a step back and he nails a three ball before shushing the crown on his way back down the court. 

Jokic to the line after the foul on Gobert and he hits both FTs. 

MPJ steps into a three and drills it on the break after the feed from Holiday. 

Jokic puts it on the deck and skies to the cup for the slam!

McDaniels in the corner off the feed from Alexander-Walker and he drills the three ball. 

Jokic backs down Gobert and scoops up a jump hook in the lane. 

Edwards to the line after the foul on Joliday and he hits one of two FTs. 

Jokic to the line after the foul on KAT and he hits one of two FTs. 

Alexander-Walker was left open on the wing and KAT hit him for the three ball!

Jokic spins and pivots in the lane before he hits the fader over Gobert. 

Gobert to the line after the foul on Gordon and he hits one of two FTs. 

Back door pass from Gordon to KCP for the alley oop slam. 

The call is overturned after the replays showed McDaniels got all ball. 

McDaniels called for a foul on MPJ's three but the Wolves are going to challenge the call less than four minutes into the game. 

KAT with a drop step on Murray from the block and lays it up off the glass. 

KAT on the board for the first time as he strokes a three ball in the corner off the feed from McDaniels. 

Murray missed the floater, but followed it up and tipped it in. 

McDaniels streaks down the baseline and throws it down off the dump off from Gobert. 

KCP gets us started with a baseline fadeaway jumper. 

WE ARE UNDERWAY FROM DENVER!!!

KAT needs production ASAP

While all the attention is cast on Anthony Edwards, with good reason, Karl-Anthony Towns is “the best offensive player on the team” according to Edwards. Unfortunately for him and the T’Wolves, he is not the most of consistent players on the offensive end, and on the defensive end he is prone to getting into early foul trouble. In the two Timberwolves wins KAT averaged 23.5 points, in th two losses in Minnesota, he averaged just 13.5. It’s not as cut dry as: if KAT has a good game, the T’Wolves will win, but it would take a large burden off the shoulders of Anthony Edwards. 

Murray making the most

This hasn’t been an easy series for Jamal Murray. The Timberwolves size and strength has given him fits for the first four games, but like all superstars do, he is finding ways to make an impact despite his injured calf. In the first two games he looked lost, and it had a trickle down effect on the rest of the Nuggets. In the two games in Minnesota, he looked more comfortable, more in control and most importantly, more mobile. We have seen calf strains take down other stars in this post seasons. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kristaps Porzingis and most recently Donovan Mitchell have gone down with the same injury, but Murray is battling through the pain, and he is figuring out a way to make a difference even if he’s not at 100%.

ANTman needs a wingman

Anthony Edwards is keeping his cool in post game interviews, and honestly he’s making me and a lot of others even bigger fans than we already were of the 22 year old. He likes to talk a little trash when he wins, and takes it on the chin when he loses. Edwards assumes the role of the T’Wolves leader both ends, but he is going to need some help. After scoring just 19 points in the Game 3 loss, he stormed back with a 44 point performance, but no one else scored more than 15 points. Edwards is playing well beyond his age would dictate in this playoff run, averaging 32.1 points, 6.5 rebounds and 5.6 assists. While those are incredible numbers, he can’t do it all on his own. Who is going to make the difference and step up tonight in Denver? 

Jokic back on his floor

The Denver Nuggets might not be the deepest team in the league, but their starting five is as reliable as any left in the playoffs. While Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray get the headlines, for good reason, Aaron Gordon, Michael Porter Jr. and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope seem to take turns having big games to help lead their team to victory. In Game 4, it was Aaron Gordon who had a near perfect night from the field, but he took a while to get his jumper going during this postseason. In the first six games of the playoffs, Gordon went 1/11 from three, but since then he is 8/11 and is averaging 20 points and 4 rebounds and 4 assists in the last three games. It may not be Gordon getting red hot on any given night, but the Nuggets have the luxury of having three different players that can change the game while aiding their two super stars. 

Game 4 recap

The defending champions had a tall task ahead of them heading into Minnesota dropping both games at home to start the series. After man handling the T’Wolves in Game 3 to restore order in the Nuggets camp, they went back into Target Center and evened the series with a second straight road win. The Nuggets shot nearly 60% from the field and kept the home side at an arms distance for the final three quarters. A 12-0 run at the end of the first quarter gave Nikola Jokic and the Nugs the lead which they would keep until reaching the finish line. Jokic had 35, 7 and 7 while Aaron Gordon had a huge night going 11/12 from the field and finishing the night with 27 points and Jamal Murray chipped in another 19. Anthony Edwards had 44 for Minnesota, but he didn’t get much help from the rest of his team. 

We are live from Ball Arena

Hello everyone and welcome to the defending champions house, where the Nuggets are looking to get back into the good graces of their home fans after dropping two home games in a row for the first time in a long time. This isn’t a team that is used to losing at home too often, but the Timberwolves shocked them not once but twice from Ball Arena only to drop both games at the Target Center which sets up a crucial Game 5 tonight from Denver. The three time MVP has led his team back into the series, and now has a chance to take one step closer to the Conference Finals, but they will have to get past a young, hungry T’Wolves team that will look to suffocate the Nuggets in Game 5. 

Timberwolves vs. Nuggets Game 5

It’s been a see saw of a series in the Western Conference Semifinals, and tonight we get set for Game 5 from Ball Arena. The Nuggets are back in Denver looking for their first home win against the Minnesota Timberwolves who took the first two games on this very court last week. Will is be the Nugs taking back control of home court or will the T’Wolves go back to Minnesota with a chance to close out the defending champions? AS English will be with you all night providing live coverage, stats, highlights and analysis of tonight’s game from the Mile High City.