The Minnesota Timberwolves played without Defensive Player of the Year finalist Rudy Gobert on Monday.
It didn't matter.
The Timberwolves chased down the Denver Nuggets from the start and won in a landslide, 106-80. The point total was the lowest of the season for Denver and marked the second time in two playoff games that the Timberwolves held the Nuggets to under 100 points.
The win gave Minnesota its second road victory over the reigning NBA champions, giving it a commanding 2-0 series lead.
Barring some major adjustments in Games 3 and 4, the champions might have been playing their last home game of the season. The Timberwolves are the better team by a wide margin through two games and return to Minnesota with a chance to end the series at home.
This is an impressive win for a Nuggets team that never trailed in the series and lost only four games in the playoffs en route to last season's NBA title, winning the first two games of the conference semifinals. There were very few Mondays when the home title contenders struggled to get by against the best defense in the NBA.
Minnesota picked up Friday's 106-99 win on Monday. The Timberwolves held Nuggets stars Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. scoreless in the first quarter to take a 28-20 lead. Murray was hampered by a lingering calf injury sustained in the first round against the Los Angeles Lakers. The Timberwolves repeatedly exploited their vulnerabilities with pressure defense and traps that swamped the Nuggets' point guard.
Their efforts were rewarded in the box score. Murray remained scoreless at halftime, and MVP candidate Nikola Jokic was limited to eight points. The halftime point total between Denver's top two scorers was the lowest of the season.
On offense, Anthony Edwards continued to do his job. The breakout star scored 16 points in the first half after scoring 43 points in Game 1. All-Star teammate Karl-Anthony Towns had 20 points at halftime as Denver couldn't match the strength of Minnesota's defense.
Minnesota outscored Denver 33-15 in the second quarter and led 61-35 at halftime. The 26-point difference was the largest in Nuggets home playoff history.
There were no challenges from Denver after halftime. The Timberwolves increased their lead to 73-41 in the third quarter, but the Nuggets again fell within 19 points.
With the Timberwolves leading 95-70, Edwards got to the free-throw line, prompting MVP chants for the burgeoning Minnesota star. Fans began lining up from the ball arena. Nuggets head coach Michael Malone emptied his bench with more than three minutes left, giving the Timberwolves a 99-75 lead.
Edwards once again led the Timberwolves with 27 points, along with seven assists, two rebounds and a steal. Towns shared the scoring lead with 27 points, 12 rebounds, one steal, and two blocks.
Aaron Gordon was Denver's lone bright spot on offense, scoring 20 points on 8-of-14 shooting. Jokic was the only Nuggets starter to score in double figures with 16 points.
Again, the Timberwolves did all this without Gobert, who was home for the birth of his child on Monday morning. He tried to get to Denver in time for Monday's game, but complicated weather prevented him from making it in time. He'll probably be ready heading into Game 3 with the Timberwolves holding a 2-0 series lead.
This story will be updated.
