It's hard to imagine that the sixth game of the Western Conference semifinals between the Nuggets and the Timberwolves will have such an effect, and the Nuggets, who had chased three games in a row and won three games in a row, actually barely scored 70 points on the Timberwolves' home court, losing by a full 45 points...... From the Timberwolves' opening wave of 20-0 attacks to set the tone, to the final quarter only allowing the defending champions to score in double digits, the Wolves suppressed the whole court and played a hearty one-sided game, which also played the largest point difference in this series. At the same time, the Timberwolves also created the second-largest margin of points in NBA history to win a game in the face of elimination.
With 8 minutes and 33 seconds left in the fourth quarter, the disheartened defending champions took the initiative to throw in the towel and withdraw all their main forces, and Edwards also finished the interaction with the home fans, and went off the break amid the cheers of the whole court and clocked out early. It's really surprising that this strong showdown lost its suspense so early. After Huazi was taken care of by the whole court in the last game, he was out of standard, and he rebounded in this game, playing 33 minutes, shooting 8 of 17 in the sports battle, and handed over a report card of 27 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists. It is worth mentioning that Edwards has a whopping plus/minus of +43, which is the highest in Timberwolves history! Conley's return to the line of fire allows Huazi to devote himself to individual combat, allowing him to show his dominance at both offensive and defensive ends!
During the game, Edwards flew Porter Jr.'s gliding slam slam to ignite the enthusiasm of the home fans, and it was hard not to think of Michael Jordan, the "God of Basketball" 30 years ago. Maybe Porter Jr. couldn't hang on his face, and in the next round, Edwards hit the basket again, but lost his balance after being knocked down by Porter Jr. in a pull-up layup, and fell heavily on his back to the ground, lying on the ground for almost 30 seconds, making everyone pinch a cold sweat for him. But the super waist and abdominal strength allowed Edwards to avoid being injured because of this, and returned to the game like an iron man, which made the fans crazy for his toughness, and at this time, the momentum of the game also completely came to the side of the Timberwolves. We were fortunate to witness the Nuggets announce in advance in the third quarter that the Nuggets had a win rate of only 0.5%, and then it came to 0.1%.
Before the start of this game, almost everyone felt that the Nuggets had a high probability of ending the series in one go, after all, Jokic in the battle of Tianwang Mountain could not be stopped, and the Timberwolves seemed to have run out of skills. But the NBA is a miracle where miracles were born, and the Timberwolves who returned to their home court took the defending champions by storm. Now it's the Nuggets' turn to panic, they have two days to adjust and prepare for the big seven, but can they really find a way to regain the advantage on the inside and find a way to limit Edwards?
There is one factor that should not be overlooked regarding the trend of this series - and that is the scale of the referee's decision. In the three games won by the Timberwolves, the total number of fouls was 38, 34 and 31, while in the three games won by the Nuggets, the total number of fouls was 45, 41 and 37. In other words, when the penalty scale is tightened, the game will move in favor of the defending champions, and conversely, when the referee's whistle is looser, it is time for the defensive powerhouse Timberwolves to play. Therefore, who can have the last laugh in the tie-break battle also depends on who is more beneficial to the referee on duty on the day of the blowing penalty.
The Nuggets won the championship last year with a maximum of 6 games, and they haven't received a baptism of tie-break for a long time, and the fighting spirit and momentum shown by the Timberwolves are really eye-catching. At this point, both sides can only give it a go and leave no regrets, which side can have the last laugh? Which side are you more optimistic about?