ANTHONY EDWARDS SCORED 30 points as the Minnesota Timberwolves staged a double-digit fightback for a series-levelling 119-114 upset of the Denver Nuggets in the NBA playoffs on Monday.
A titanic duel in Denver saw the Wolves overturn an early 19-point deficit before a clinical fourth-quarter display sealed a crucial victory in the best-of-seven Western Conference first-round series.
The Nuggets, 116-105 winners in game one on Saturday, picked up where they left off with a blistering first-quarter performance that pushed them into a 39-25 lead.
But the Timberwolves bounced back in the second quarter to tie the game 64-64 at halftime before edging the second half.
Edwards was backed by 24 points from Julius Randle while Donte DiVincenzo added 16. Jamal Murray led the Denver scoring with 30 points while Nikola Jokic added 24 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists.
Hawks
CJ McCollum scored 32 points and led a dramatic fourth-quarter comeback as the Atlanta Hawks overturned a 12-point deficit to score a series-levelling 107-106 defeat of the New York Knicks.
Atlanta Hawks' CJ McCollum (right). Alamy Live News.
Alamy Live News.
Atlanta looked poised to fall 2-0 down in the series after trailing a confident Knicks line-up by as much as 14 points in the third quarter at Madison Square Garden.
But the Hawks roared back to life in the fourth quarter, hauling themselves back into the contest with an 11-0 run to take a 103-100 lead with under two minutes remaining.
A Jalen Brunson three-pointer tied it at 103-103 but McCollum calmly nailed a fadeaway jump shot to put Atlanta back in front before Jalen Johnson’s dunk gave the Hawks a 107-103 lead with 10 seconds remaining.
Advertisement
Another Brunson three-pointer cut the lead to 107-106 to set up a frantic finale, but Mikal Bridges missed an attempted buzzer-beater for New York and Atlanta claimed the win.
Cavs in control
Donovan Mitchell and James Harden combined for 58 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Toronto Raptors 115-105 to take a commanding 2-0 lead in their Eastern Conference series.
Fourth seeds Cleveland, convincing 126-113 victors in game one on Saturday, once again proved too strong for fifth-seeded Toronto as they powered to a wire-to-wire victory.
Mitchell scored 30 points including four three-pointers while Harden finished with 28 points, five rebounds and four assists.
Evan Mobley also had a big night for the Cavs, weighing in with 25 points from an efficient 11-of-13 shooting display.
Toronto’s scoring was led by Scottie Barnes with 26 points while RJ Barrett added 22. Game three of the series takes place in Toronto on Thursday.
Defensive Star
Elsewhere, San Antonio Spurs star was named the NBA’s defensive player of the year on Monday, becoming the first unanimous winner in the award’s 43-year history.
Victor Wembanyama. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
France international Wembanyama, a generational talent who has helped transform San Antonio into title contenders, earned a perfect 100 votes in the media ballot.
Oklahoma City’s Chet Holmgren came in second in the voting, with Detroit’s Ausar Thompson ranked third.
The win marked another milestone in the meteoric rise of Wembanyama, who at 22 is the youngest player in history to win the honour.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Close
Comments
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic.
Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy
here
before taking part.
Timberwolves battle back to stun Nuggets, Hawks overturn New York Knicks
ANTHONY EDWARDS SCORED 30 points as the Minnesota Timberwolves staged a double-digit fightback for a series-levelling 119-114 upset of the Denver Nuggets in the NBA playoffs on Monday.
A titanic duel in Denver saw the Wolves overturn an early 19-point deficit before a clinical fourth-quarter display sealed a crucial victory in the best-of-seven Western Conference first-round series.
The Nuggets, 116-105 winners in game one on Saturday, picked up where they left off with a blistering first-quarter performance that pushed them into a 39-25 lead.
But the Timberwolves bounced back in the second quarter to tie the game 64-64 at halftime before edging the second half.
Edwards was backed by 24 points from Julius Randle while Donte DiVincenzo added 16. Jamal Murray led the Denver scoring with 30 points while Nikola Jokic added 24 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists.
Hawks
CJ McCollum scored 32 points and led a dramatic fourth-quarter comeback as the Atlanta Hawks overturned a 12-point deficit to score a series-levelling 107-106 defeat of the New York Knicks.
Atlanta looked poised to fall 2-0 down in the series after trailing a confident Knicks line-up by as much as 14 points in the third quarter at Madison Square Garden.
But the Hawks roared back to life in the fourth quarter, hauling themselves back into the contest with an 11-0 run to take a 103-100 lead with under two minutes remaining.
A Jalen Brunson three-pointer tied it at 103-103 but McCollum calmly nailed a fadeaway jump shot to put Atlanta back in front before Jalen Johnson’s dunk gave the Hawks a 107-103 lead with 10 seconds remaining.
Another Brunson three-pointer cut the lead to 107-106 to set up a frantic finale, but Mikal Bridges missed an attempted buzzer-beater for New York and Atlanta claimed the win.
Cavs in control
Donovan Mitchell and James Harden combined for 58 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Toronto Raptors 115-105 to take a commanding 2-0 lead in their Eastern Conference series.
Fourth seeds Cleveland, convincing 126-113 victors in game one on Saturday, once again proved too strong for fifth-seeded Toronto as they powered to a wire-to-wire victory.
Mitchell scored 30 points including four three-pointers while Harden finished with 28 points, five rebounds and four assists.
Evan Mobley also had a big night for the Cavs, weighing in with 25 points from an efficient 11-of-13 shooting display.
Toronto’s scoring was led by Scottie Barnes with 26 points while RJ Barrett added 22. Game three of the series takes place in Toronto on Thursday.
Defensive Star
Elsewhere, San Antonio Spurs star was named the NBA’s defensive player of the year on Monday, becoming the first unanimous winner in the award’s 43-year history.
France international Wembanyama, a generational talent who has helped transform San Antonio into title contenders, earned a perfect 100 votes in the media ballot.
Oklahoma City’s Chet Holmgren came in second in the voting, with Detroit’s Ausar Thompson ranked third.
The win marked another milestone in the meteoric rise of Wembanyama, who at 22 is the youngest player in history to win the honour.
© AFP 2026
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Basketball NBA NBA Playoffs