Anthony Edwards led the Minnesota Timberwolves with 30 points in their 19-point comeback against the Denver Nuggets in Game 2. However, a revival of such propositions doesn’t happen without committee. Edwards and Julius Randle wanted this pivotal win to be a celebration of their teammates. There were many who made the contributions that turned the tide.

Ant started with sharpshooters, Donte DiVincenzo. “I love Dante. I told him after the game, he got gorilla nuts. He’s willing to take any kind of shot at any at any moment of the game. Um, no matter how far it is. And you got to live with it because he makes those a lot of times,” Edwards said during the press conference.

DiVincenzo was the most efficient shooter for the Timberwolves. Although they largely strayed away from the three-point line, the former Bucks guard hit four triples in his 16 points and 6 assists performance. Anthony Edwards had a few other teammates to praise. That included Bones Hyland, who gave the Wolves 13 points in just 10 minutes.

He also complimented Naz Reid for overcoming his struggles. The Wolves’ backup center scored 6 of his 11 points in the fourth quarter, when the Timberwolves outscored the Nuggets by 8. But in all honesty, the entire Wolves team deserves the plaudits for the effort they displayed on the road against the team that hadn’t lost in 13 games.

Julius Randle also made sure to give Rudy Gobert his props. The big man was in early foul trouble. However, when most needed, the four-time DPOY proved why he’s won the most of those accolades in NBA history. Nikola Jokic was held to 1/7 shooting in the final quarter, primarily guarded by Gobert.

“Tonight, it’s not gonna show up in the box score obviously, you know, but what he did especially in that fourth quarter and challenged him, you know, beginning of the fourth, he said, “I need you to stop fouling”. And he came in there and how he guarded Jokic in the end was like it was super inspiring to the team,” said Randle.

The Timberwolves may have found the Nuggets’ weakness

A 19-point comeback doesn’t happen without a groundbreaking epiphany. That’s what the Timberwolves experienced after a disastrous first quarter. Trailing by 14, they made a conscious decision that has changed the outlook of this tie. The Wolves hunted as a pack and went right into the heart of the Nuggets’ defense.

They generated 52 points in the paint, taking fewer threes with each quarter. The aim was crystal clear. The Nuggets’ offense is a highly powered engine thanks to Jokic and Jamal Murray. But defensively, they are vulnerable, especially at the rim.

In Jaden McDaniels’ words, “Go at Jokic, Jamal, all the bad defenders. Tim Hardaway, Cam Johnson. Aaron Gordon. The whole team. Just got at them”.

McDaniels termed them as “bad defenders”. While that’s debatable, the Timberwolves’ athleticism and physicality clearly prevailed. They scored 39 in the second quarter, shooting 70% from the field. By the time the fourth quarter came around, they had run the Nuggets ragged.

Most were exhausted, particularly their famous one-two man tandem. Denver could only score 21 points in the fourth, leading the Timberwolves’ emphatic comeback. The tie is now completely turned upside down. The Wolves have homecourt advantage with bragging rights from last season’s playoffs.

Although the seeding says the Nuggets are better, this is now the Timberwolves’ series to lose.