The Minnesota Timberwolves are leading the Denver Nuggets two games to none in the Western Conference Final thanks to impressive defense at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado. In both games, the Timberwolves limited the Nuggets to under 100 points, and scored 106 points in each game.
In game one on Saturday, the Timberwolves were led by former first overall pick and shooting guard Anthony Edwards of Atlanta, Georgia en route to a 106-99 win. He had a playoff career-high 43 points. Three more Timberwolves reached double digits in points. Power forward Karl-Anthony Towns of Edison, New Jersey, another former first overall pick, had 20 points. Meanwhile, sixth man of the year award winner and center Naz Reid of Asbury Park, New Jersey had 16 points, and point guard Mike Conley of Fayetteville, Arkansas had 14 points. Conley had the double-double with 10 assists, while center Rudy Gobert of Saint-Quentin, France led the Timberwolves with 13 rebounds.
In game two, it was simply a dominant first half for Minnesota. In the opening 24 minutes, they led the Nuggets 61-35. Towns and Edwards had 27 points each, while Canadian shooting guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Reid had 14 points each. Towns had the double-double as he had 12 rebounds.
The fact that the Nuggets are down 2-0 is even more stunning when you consider the fact that Denver only lost eight games all year at home. However, the last regular season loss the Nuggets had at home came to Minnesota. The Timberwolves beat the Nuggets 111-98 on March 29. Once again, the Timberwolves played steady defense and limited the Nuggets to under 100 points.
