The Minnesota Timberwolves defeated the Denver Nuggets 106-99 in Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals, with Anthony Edwards scoring an NBA playoff career-high 43 points.
Former NBA center Kendrick Perkins predicts the Timberwolves will win the series and advance to the NBA Finals, citing their consistent performance throughout the season.
“I’mma tell you this, the Minnesota Timberwolves are going to the NBA Finals. I know that much as long as they’re healthy. That wasn’t a fluke what we saw last night. This is who they’ve been all season long – a bunch of dogs, some nasty wolves led by Anthony Edwards, who is a killer,” Perkins said.
Edwards’ performance was supported by Karl-Anthony Towns‘ 20 points, Nike Conley Jr.’s 14 points, and Naz Reid‘s 16 points. Rudy Gobert also contributed with 13 rebounds. The Timberwolves dominated the second half, outscoring the Nuggets 33-27 and 33-28 in the third and fourth quarters, respectively.
Notably, Edwards joined Kobe Bryant as the only two players with consecutive 40-point games at age 22 or younger in NBA postseason history.
After the game, Edwards expressed confidence in his team, saying, “It’s not about introducing ourselves to nobody. We know who we are. We’re coming out and as long as we got each other’s backs, it don’t really matter what anybody else thinks.”
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