Anthony Edwards scores go-ahead basket, Timberwolves top Nuggets in 119-116 thriller
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Anthony Edwards hit a go-ahead 7-foot floater with 25.7 seconds left, and Rudy Gobert iced the game with two free throws to lead the Minnesota Timberwolves past the Denver Nuggets 119-116 on Friday night.
Edwards scored 29 points, Gobert had 17 points and 14 rebounds and Julius Randle added 23 points and seven assists for the Timberwolves, who recovered from a 25-3 fourth-quarter run by the Nuggets.
Nikola Jokic had 26 points, 13 assists and nine rebounds and hit two free throws with 2:30 left to put Denver up 116-109, before Minnesota roared back. Jokic had a chance to tie the game at 119, but Gobert forced an errant corner 3-pointer with 2.3 seconds to go.
Gordon led the Nuggets with 31 points and 11 rebounds in a rematch of last season's Western Conference semifinal.
Michael Porter Jr. added 26 points for the Nuggets, who lost point guard Jamal Murray to the concussion protocol in the third quarter after colliding with Randle.
Nuggets: Lightening some of the load that's on the three-time NBA MVP Jokic will be a key to keeping their window for championship contention open, and Gordon and Porter did their part. But the lack of depth is a concern. Their bench was outscored 31-13.
Timberwolves: After leading the league in defense last season, they've sprung some leaks, particularly in transition. The Nuggets had 22 fast-break points.
Braun dunked over the 7-foot-2 Gobert with 5:14 left and got even closer to his face with a taunting scream that egged Gobert into grabbing Braun by the neck. The benches cleared, shouts were exchanged, and both players got a technical.
Gordon had his second-highest scoring total in four-plus seasons with the Nuggets. He shot 11 for 18.
The Nuggets host Utah on Saturday. while the Timberwolves play at San Antonio on the same day.
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| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 |  | Nikola Jokic vs. Rudy Gobert (Julius Randle gains possession) | ||
| 11:47 | | +2 | Jaden McDaniels makes two point pullup jump shot (Rudy Gobert assists) | 0-2 |
| 11:34 |  | +2 | Christian Braun makes two point driving finger roll layup (Nikola Jokic assists) | 2-2 |
| 11:16 | | Anthony Edwards misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:12 | | Michael Porter Jr. defensive rebound | ||
| 11:05 | | +2 | Michael Porter Jr. makes two point driving floating jump shot (Nikola Jokic assists) | 4-2 |
| 10:47 | | Julius Randle misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:43 | | Nikola Jokic defensive rebound | ||
| 10:36 | | +2 | Michael Porter Jr. makes two point driving floating jump shot (Nikola Jokic assists) | 6-2 |
| 10:18 | | +3 | Jaden McDaniels makes three point pullup jump shot (Julius Randle assists) | 6-5 |
| 10:02 | | +2 | Aaron Gordon makes two point cutting layup (Nikola Jokic assists) | 8-5 |
| 10:02 | | Anthony Edwards shooting foul (Aaron Gordon draws the foul) | ||
| 10:02 | | +1 | Aaron Gordon makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 9-5 |
| 9:51 | | +3 | Jaden McDaniels makes three point jump shot (Mike Conley assists) | 9-8 |
| 9:41 | | Rudy Gobert personal foul (Nikola Jokic draws the foul) | ||
| 9:36 | | Michael Porter Jr. misses two point stepback jump shot | ||
| 9:32 | | Rudy Gobert defensive rebound | ||
| 9:22 | | +3 | Anthony Edwards makes three point pullup jump shot (Rudy Gobert assists) | 9-11 |
| 9:09 | | Aaron Gordon misses two point reverse layup | ||
| 9:08 | | Rudy Gobert defensive rebound | ||
| 8:48 | | Anthony Edwards misses two point stepback jump shot | ||
| 8:47 | | Nikola Jokic defensive rebound | ||
| 8:35 | | +3 | Christian Braun makes three point jump shot (Michael Porter Jr. assists) | 12-11 |
| 8:13 | | Mike Conley turnover (bad pass) (Nikola Jokic steals) | ||
| 8:08 | | Jamal Murray misses two point running pullup jump shot | ||
| 8:06 | | Christian Braun offensive rebound | ||
| 8:00 | | Christian Braun turnover (bad pass) (Mike Conley steals) | ||
| 7:55 | | Anthony Edwards misses three point running jump shot | ||
| 7:53 | | Michael Porter Jr. defensive rebound | ||
| 7:46 | | Michael Porter Jr. misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:44 | | Nuggets offensive rebound | ||
| 7:41 | | +2 | Michael Porter Jr. makes two point cutting layup (Jamal Murray assists) | 14-11 |
| 7:24 | | +2 | Rudy Gobert makes two point cutting dunk (Julius Randle assists) | 14-13 |
| 6:58 | | Aaron Gordon misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 6:54 | | Anthony Edwards defensive rebound | ||
| 6:49 | | Anthony Edwards misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 6:47 | | Nikola Jokic defensive rebound | ||
| 6:43 | | +2 | Christian Braun makes two point running layup (Nikola Jokic assists) | 16-13 |
| 6:26 | | +3 | Anthony Edwards makes three point jump shot (Julius Randle assists) | 16-16 |
| 6:16 | | Rudy Gobert blocks Nikola Jokic's two point cutting layup | ||
| 6:15 | | Nuggets offensive rebound | ||
| 6:15 | | Timberwolves 60 second timeout | ||
| 6:08 | | +2 | Jamal Murray makes two point pullup jump shot | 18-16 |
| 5:48 | | Anthony Edwards misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 5:46 | | Jamal Murray defensive rebound | ||
| 5:36 | | +2 | Aaron Gordon makes two point finger roll layup (Julian Strawther assists) | 20-16 |
| 5:19 | | Jaden McDaniels misses two point turnaround jump shot | ||
| 5:17 | | Aaron Gordon defensive rebound | ||
| 5:08 | | Julian Strawther misses two point driving finger roll layup | ||
| 5:06 | | Nikola Jokic offensive rebound | ||
| 4:57 | | Nikola Jokic misses two point turnaround jump shot | ||
| 4:56 | | Timberwolves defensive rebound | ||
| 4:35 | | Julian Strawther personal foul (Julius Randle draws the foul) | ||
| 4:22 | | Donte DiVincenzo misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 4:19 | | Christian Braun defensive rebound | ||
| 4:16 | | Anthony Edwards blocks Christian Braun's two point running layup | ||
| 4:15 | | Naz Reid defensive rebound | ||
| 4:14 | | Naz Reid turnover (out of bounds lost ball) | ||
| 4:08 | | Christian Braun offensive foul (Donte DiVincenzo draws the foul) | ||
| 4:08 | | Christian Braun turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 3:56 | | Julius Randle misses two point cutting layup | ||
| 3:53 | | Julius Randle offensive rebound | ||
| 3:53 | | +2 | Julius Randle makes two point tip layup | 20-18 |
| 3:46 | | Naz Reid kicked ball violation | ||
| 3:37 | | Russell Westbrook misses three point jump shot | ||
| 3:34 | | Donte DiVincenzo defensive rebound | ||
| 3:27 | | Aaron Gordon shooting foul (Julius Randle draws the foul) | ||
| 3:27 | | +1 | Julius Randle makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 20-19 |
| 3:27 | | +1 | Julius Randle makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 20-20 |
| 3:08 | | +3 | Nikola Jokic makes three point jump shot (Russell Westbrook assists) | 23-20 |
| 2:57 | | Julian Strawther shooting foul (Julius Randle draws the foul) | ||
| 2:57 | | Nuggets 60 second timeout | ||
| 2:57 | | +1 | Julius Randle makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 23-21 |
| 2:57 | | +1 | Julius Randle makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 23-22 |
| 2:44 | | +2 | Nikola Jokic makes two point floating jump shot (Russell Westbrook assists) | 25-22 |
| 2:30 | | +3 | Naz Reid makes three point jump shot (Donte DiVincenzo assists) | 25-25 |
| 2:20 | | Naz Reid blocks Russell Westbrook's two point driving layup | ||
| 2:17 | | Julian Strawther offensive rebound | ||
| 2:14 | | +2 | Nikola Jokic makes two point driving hook shot (Russell Westbrook assists) | 27-25 |
| 2:00 | | +3 | Julius Randle makes three point jump shot (Donte DiVincenzo assists) | 27-28 |
| 1:49 | | Nikola Jokic misses two point driving hook shot | ||
| 1:46 | | Julius Randle defensive rebound | ||
| 1:42 | | Julius Randle turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 1:27 | | Peyton Watson misses three point jump shot | ||
| 1:24 | | Donte DiVincenzo defensive rebound | ||
| 1:18 | | Donte DiVincenzo turnover (bad pass) (Michael Porter Jr. steals) | ||
| 1:12 | | +2 | Julian Strawther makes two point running reverse layup (Michael Porter Jr. assists) | 29-28 |
| 0:58 | | Anthony Edwards turnover (lost ball) (Julian Strawther steals) | ||
| 0:54 | | Naz Reid blocks Peyton Watson's two point running layup | ||
| 0:52 | | Anthony Edwards defensive rebound | ||
| 0:45 | | +2 | Naz Reid makes two point driving hook shot (Nickeil Alexander-Walker assists) | 29-30 |
| 0:31 | | Peyton Watson misses three point jump shot | ||
| 0:28 | | Donte DiVincenzo defensive rebound | ||
| 0:16 | | +3 | Anthony Edwards makes three point stepback jump shot | 29-33 |
| 0:01 | | Russell Westbrook misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 0:00 | | Anthony Edwards defensive rebound | ||
| 0:00 | | End of period |
| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11:44 | | Dario Saric misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:42 | | Donte DiVincenzo defensive rebound | ||
| 11:29 |