Sports Writing (USA), Apr 25 (EFE).- Nikola Jokic’s Denver Nuggets sealed their qualification for the Western semifinals (4-1) on Tuesday by defeating at home and in a very even and exciting game the Minnesota Timberwolves (112-109).
With the game tied 104-104 and just 1.12 remaining, Jokic put the Nuggets behind him with two consecutive baskets in the crucial stretch (one of them with an additional free throw) to overcome the resistance of a Wolves who fought until the end. final and that they had a triple by Anthony Edwards to have forced overtime.
The Serbian center signed a triple-double with 28 points (8 of 29 shooting), 17 rebounds and 12 assists, although the top scorer for the Nuggets (first in the West) was Jamal Murray with 35 points.
Edwards (29 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists), the Dominican Karl-Anthony Towns (26 points and 11 rebounds) and Rudy Gobert (16 points and 15 rebounds) were the most outstanding of the Wolves (eighth).
With no margin for error, the Wolves, with Edwards at the helm, entered the game like a cyclone and managed to win 15 points in an excellent first quarter for the visitors.
The Nuggets, on the other hand, started off asleep and couldn’t find a way to stop Minnesota (13 of 22 shooting) or a way to grease their own attack (7 of 21).
However, the locals limited the damage from their bad first period and closed those poor 12 minutes in a manageable margin (22-29).
Jokic, one of the most effective players facing the basket in the NBA, signed a very weak first half with 2 of 10 shooting and only 8 points.
Despite this, the Nuggets reacted on both sides of the court, drying up the Wolves’ attack (only 18 points in the second quarter) and letting themselves be guided by a fiery Murray in the second period with 12 points.
Thus, Denver closed the gap on the scoreboard and came to take the lead before going to the locker room (48-47).
In the third quarter, neither team managed to open a gap despite the fact that Murray extended his good moment (12 points in that period) with Jokic now inspired (10) while Towns (11) asked for a pass from the visitors.
The first quarter began with 77-77 and the equality was maintained until the last minute, when the quality of Jokic and the Nuggets’ aplomb in the free throws were essential to eliminate the Wolves.
