The Denver Nuggets entered this postseason with hopes of a deep run. Instead, they are in danger of bowing out in five games.
The Minnesota Timberwolves overcame two significant injuries to win Game 4, 112-96, on Saturday night and can close out the series in Denver on Monday night. The Nuggets are on the brink of a first-round exit for the first time since 2022 when they were swept by Golden State.
Minnesota prevailed in Game 4 despite losing two key players to injuries. Starter Donte DiVincenzo to a torn Achilles just 79 seconds into the win. Then, All-Star Anthony Edwards suffered a bone bruise and a hyperextended left knee late in the second quarter and didn’t return. ESPN reported Sunday that Edwards will miss multiple weeks.
Without DiVincenzo and Edwards, the Timberwolves had enough to overcome Denver in the second half Saturday night, led by Ayo Dosunmu’s unexpected 43-point performance.
“I saw some guys get sad seeing both of those guys go down,” Dosunmu said. “I just wanted to help bring us together.”
Dosunmu will get many more opportunities to shine in Game 5. So will Jaden McDaniels, whose meaningless layup in the final seconds of Game 4 drew the wrath of Denver’s Nikola Jokic. The three-time MVP confronted McDaniels in front of the Minnesota bench, gave him a shove and McDaniels grabbed Jokic’s jersey.
“Clock still be running,” McDaniels said after the game. “So, I’m going to go score.”
It sparked a few more shoves, led to ejections for Jokic and Julius Randle and added more fuel to an already heated playoff rivalry.
“I don’t regret it, because he scored after everybody stopped playing,” Jokic said of his reaction to the layup.
The Nuggets will need that fire to stay alive in Game 5. Denver has been out of sync since the Timberwolves rallied from down 19 early in Game 2 to even the series. The Nuggets are also dealing with significant injuries to Peyton Watson, who has yet to play in the series, and Aaron Gordon.
Gordon missed Game 3 with a calf injury and was limited to 23 minutes Saturday night. He was lacking explosiveness and was clearly compromised.
“It was unfair for me to keep him out there,” Denver coach David Adelman said of Gordon. “I felt like he was really laboring in the first half. We’re going to have to decide (on his status) for Game 5.”
Gordon played through a hamstring injury that affected him in last year’s playoffs, but the Nuggets were able to extend eventual champion Oklahoma City to Game 7 in the second round. Denver has a deeper roster this year but is facing extinction in a year it felt could end with a second title in four seasons.
“We have got to show some fight in Game 5,” Christian Braun said. “And I know we will. We are going to show up. We are going to play well. We are going to guard. We are going to be physical. We are going to rebound. It’s not over.”
