Nikola Jokic had 25 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists, Jamal Murray scored a game-high 30 points and the host Denver Nuggets beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 116-105 on Saturday to take a 1-0 lead in their first-round Western Conference playoff series.
Murray was perfect from the line, hitting a career-high 16 free throws, while Aaron Gordon finished with 17 points, and Cameron Johnson and Christian Braun pitched in with 12 points each for Denver.
The Nuggets fell behind by 12 in the first quarter, but they forged a halftime tie and never trailed after the break.
“First game of the playoffs, you have all of this adrenaline, nerves, excitement,” said Murray, who scored just three points in the game’s first 14 minutes. “Just come out, be relaxed, do what I do and be aggressive.
“It’s not a feel-out game. To me, it’s the most important game of the series. It sets the tone, and this is why you work for home-court advantage, to win this game right here.”
Game 2 is Monday night in Denver.
Anthony Edwards led Minnesota with 22 points, while Rudy Gobert produced 17 points and 10 rebounds. Jaden McDaniels and Julius Randle scored 16 apiece, Ayo Dosunmu posted 14 and Donte DiVincenzo added 12.
Edwards, who missed 11 of Minnesota’s final 14 regular-season games due to right knee issues, was listed as questionable prior to the game. He wound up playing a team-high 38 minutes and contributing nine rebounds along with a team-high seven assists and three blocks, but he shot 7-of-19 from the field.
“He looked normal for what he’s been through,” said Timberwolves coach Chris Finch. “I thought he got tired in the third, so I pulled him a little bit earlier. He had some good looks throughout the game; touch maybe wasn’t there. It wasn’t the ‘Ant’ we’re used to seeing, but it’s pretty much as expected considering where he is trying to find his rhythm.”
The Timberwolves trailed by 12 after three quarters, but they rallied to start the fourth. Dosunmu and Edwards hit 3-pointers, then Gobert made a driving layup and a putback during a 12-4 run that cut the deficit to 97-95.
But Jokic answered with a three-point play and a tip-in to extend the lead to seven with 5:45 left.
Following a Minnesota timeout, Edwards missed a 19-footer and Braun made two free throws. After a Minnesota turnover, Jokic completed his 22nd playoff triple-double by feeding Bruce Brown for a fast-break dunk to make it 106-97 with 4:10 to go.
Edwards missed a long 3-point attempt that would have made it a 2-point game with 2:25 remaining. Gordon followed with a dunk, and Gobert’s offensive goaltending miscue kept it at 108-101 with 1:39 left.
The Timberwolves led by as many as 12 in the first half but a strong second quarter by the Nuggets sent it into intermission 62-62.
Denver took advantage of a Timberwolves’ scoring drought of 4:19 to open up a big third-quarter lead. Gordon scored half of the points in a 14-0 run, capping it with a putback dunk to make it 82-68. McDaniels hit a jumper in the lane to end the run but also picked up a technical foul.
Murray hit the free throw and then a turnaround to make it 85-70. Edwards came back into the game with four points and fed Mike Conley for a corner 3-pointer, but Jokic’s floater gave the Nuggets a 91-79 lead heading into the fourth.
The Timberwolves outshot the Nuggets from the floor and beyond the arc, but Denver rode Murray’s free-throw prowess to outscore Minnesota 30-14 from the line. The Nuggets made 30 of 33 free throws (90.9%).
“(Murray) made a lot of free throws because he got fouled,” Adelman said. “A lot.”
–Field Level Media
