Jamal Murray drops 40 points to fend off Timberwolves

On April 20th, the Denver Nuggets hosted the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 2 of their Western Conference playoff series. Jamal Murray scored 40 points, and Nikola Jokic contributed 27 points. Nine rebounds, and nine assists, leading the Nuggets to a 122-113 victory. The Nuggets now hold a 2-0 series lead and will travel to Minneapolis for Game 3 on Friday.
Michael Porter Jr. scored 16 points, Aaron Gordon had 12 points and ten rebounds, and Jeff Green finished with 11 points for the top-seeded Denver team. Anthony Edwards had a franchise playoff record 41 points for the No. 8-seeded Timberwolves, hitting 14 of 23 shots — including 6 of 10 from 3-point range. Rudy Gobert scored 19 points, Mike Conley had 14 points, Taurean Prince put up 12 points, Karl-Anthony Towns contributed 10 points and 12 rebounds, and Kyle Anderson had 10 points.
Although the Timberwolves had a solid third quarter and led 89-87 entering the fourth. Denver responded with an 8-0 run to start the final quarter, taking a 95-89 lead. However, Edwards scored seven points in a 10-3 surge to put Minnesota ahead 99-98 with 6:55 remaining.
Porter hit a crucial 3-pointer, and Minnesota missed its next three shots. Three free throws from the Nuggets made it 104-99 with 5:33 left. Conley hit a running bank shot, but Jokic found Gordon on an alley-oop. And Porter made a mid-range jumper to extend the lead to 108-101.
Edwards hit two free throws before Murray drained another 3-pointer and a 12-footer. Giving Denver a 10-point advantage with 3:14 left. Conley and Edwards responded with 3-pointers to get Minnesota within 115-109, but Murray answered with another deep shot. Edwards hit a 20-footer, but another alley-oop from Jokic to Gordon sealed the game.
Denver led by as many as 21 points in the second quarter before Minnesota chipped away and got within 64-49 at halftime. Jamal Murray’s layup with 9:41 left in the third gave Denver a 70-55 lead. But the Timberwolves responded with a 14-0 run. Towns hit a 3-pointer, Gobert had two dunks, and Edwards scored five points during the run, making it a one-point game. The Nuggets hit two baskets to go up by five, but Minnesota’s 10-5 run tied it at 79. After Jokic split a pair of free throws, Anderson’s dunk gave the Timberwolves their first lead since the first quarter.