The Nuggets finally found a team they could compete with in the fourth quarter on Saturday. Now, they are on the back foot in a playoff series for the first time since 2022. Here are three stars from Saturday's NBA playoff game.
Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards | 43 points, 7 rebounds
Many are calling the duo of Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray the best two-man game in the NBA. After Minnesota's 106-99 win in Game 1, the NBA's best two-man game might just be Anthony Edwards and the player who happens to be on the floor with him.
Edwards followed up his 40-point game with 43 points in Denver, which dominated the Phoenix Suns. Minnesota needed him, who scored 25 of his 40 points in the first half, to keep the Timberwolves alive. Minnesota then had explosive offensive spurts with Karl-Anthony Towns and Mike Conley in the third quarter, Naz Reid in the fourth, and even Rudy Gobert in the second half.
But the fearless Edwards was the driving force behind the Timberwolves' upset. Edwards was undaunted as he stared down Jokic, the defending champion and likely three-time MVP.
Minnesota Timberwolves center Naz Reid | 14 points in 4th quarter
If you're wondering how Reed won Sixth Man of the Year, why did he lose his title in the fourth quarter of Game 1 despite having big men in Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns? has revealed why he is incredibly valuable to Minnesota.
In one stretch in the fourth quarter, Reid scored 10 straight points for Minnesota with two 3-pointers, a layup and a putback dunk. By the end of his run, the Wolves had a six-point lead, and Denver never got closer than three after that.
