What are the largest margins of victory in the history of the NBA Playoffs?

The Minnesota Timberwolves went into Game 6 against the defending champion Denver Nuggets with their backs against the wall after spoiling an 0-2 lead by losing three straight games. They needed a win from Target Center on Thursday night, and they delivered in one of the most lopsided playoff wins we have ever seen.

Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels and the rest of the Timberwolves were in a win or go home situation and they delivered a season saving win in front of their home fans. They won the first two games of the series with their relentless defensive pressure, and in Game 6 used that same strategy to smother the Nuggets and force a decisive Game 7.

The Wolves held the Nuggets to just 70 points while Edwards and McDaniels combined for 48 points and Minnesota went on to win by 45 points. While it may not be brushing up there with the heaviest of playoffs beatdowns, it was the second largest margin of victory in an elimination game. Luckily for them, they were on the winning side and live to fight another day. That day will be on Sunday

Biggest victory margins in NBA Playoff history

There is a tie for the biggest margin of victory in an NBA playoff game. The more recent game when the largest lead was tallied took place in 2009 during the Western Conference first round, when the Denver Nuggets thrashed the then-New Orleans Hornets in their home arena by an unbelievable 58 points.

Seven Nuggets players had double-digit scores led by Carmelo Anthony with 26, to finish the game at 121-63. The Hornets scored 24 in their biggest quarter, and failed to score more than 15 points in the other three.

A previously long-standing record

Before that matchup, we had the Minneapolis Lakers who played to the hometown crowd in 1956 and humiliated the St. Louis Hawks in the Western Division Semifinals, also with a 58-point lead, 133-75. It was a concerted team effort for Minneapolis, as all ten players who saw action in that game turned in double-digit scores.

Next on the list is a 70s blowout, with the Los Angeles Lakers obliterating the Golden State Warriors with a 56-point advantage, 126-70. Scoring machine Wilt Chamberlain only sank 12 points in their victory, but his contributions for the evening lay elsewhere- he ended the game with an incredible 25 rebounds.

The third largest margin of victory took place more recently, when the Chicago Bulls gored the Milwaukee Bucks with a 120-66 victory- a gap of 54 points. All of the Bulls starters served up ten points or more, while not one player among the Bucks hit the double-digits.