Anthony Edwards and Nikola Jokic appeared to clash towards the end of the Minnesota Timberwolves’ remarkable comeback win over the Denver Nuggets.
The Timberwolves roared back from a 20-point second-half deficit to eliminate the reigning NBA champion Denver Nuggets 98-90 in a Game 7 Minnesota masterpiece on Sunday night.
The Timberwolves overcame a 15-point halftime deficit – the largest comeback in a Game 7 in NBA playoff history – behind Edwards, who had just four points, no rebounds and three assists at halftime but finished with 16 points, eight boards and seven assists.
But Jokic appeared to be irritated by Edwards when, as the clock ticked down into th final 30 seconds, the Timberwolves star taunted Nuggets fans by waving goodbye to them.
As Minnesota prepared to shoot a free throw, Jokic bumped into Edwards and said something to him – which was not clear on the broadcast.
Anthony Edwards and Nikola Jokic appeared to clash as the Timberwolves beat the Nuggets
As the clock ticked down, the Timberwolves star taunted Nuggets fans by waving goodbye
Minnesota came back from a 20-point second-half deficit to beat the reigning NBA champion
The Wolves, who got 23 points each from Karl-Anthony Towns and Jaden McDaniels, advanced to the Western Conference finals for the first time in exactly 20 years.
They’ll face the Dallas Mavericks beginning Wednesday night at Target Center
The Nuggets became the fifth consecutive defending champion to fail to reach the conference finals.
Behind Jamal Murray’s 24 first-half points, the Nuggets raced to a 53-38 halftime lead and Murray’s 3-pointer with 10:50 left in the third pushed Denver’s lead to 58-38.
The Wolves turned to their defense, the NBA’s stingiest, to get back into the game, and they closed the quarter on a 28-9 run to pull to 67-66 heading into the fourth.
Rudy Gobert gave the Wolves their first lead since the first quarter with a bucket to start the fourth and when Towns picked up his fifth foul, Naz Reid, the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year, was spectacular at both ends of the floor to keep Minnesota ahead.
With three minutes remaining in a pivotal sequence that began with Minnesota leading 85-82, Reid scored two free throws, dunks, and then set up Edwards for a game-winning 3-pointer to put the Wolves up 92-82.
Murray led Denver with 35 points after going 4 for 18 on the shooting in the Nuggets’ 115-70 loss in Game 6, which was the biggest postseason loss ever for a reigning champion. Jokic contributed seven assists, 19 rebounds, and 34 points.
Exactly twenty years had passed since the Timberwolves defeated Sacramento in the second round, and this was their first Game 7 since then. They only made it to the conference finals once before.