Jamal Murray scored 40 points and Michael Porter Jr had 13 of his 16 in the fourth quarter on Wednesday as the Denver Nuggets powered past the Minnesota Timberwolves 122-113 for a 2-0 lead in their NBA playoff series.
Murray had not ever produced even a 30-point playoff game at Ball Arena — his two 50-point post-season performances came in the NBA bubble in Florida in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s nice,” Murray said. “It’s nice having a crowd. They got me going. That fires us up and gives us a lot of life even when we’re not playing our best.”
Photo: Petre Thomas-USA TODAY
Murray got a hug from coach Michael Malone as he went out with 11 seconds left to a rousing ovation.
“I was exhausted,” Murray said.
Nikola Jokic added 27 points, nine assists and nine rebounds for the Nuggets, who blew an early 21-point lead and trailed 89-87 heading into the fourth quarter.
Anthony Edwards had 41 points for the Wolves, who shot a sizzling 81 percent in the third quarter to erase a 64-59 halftime deficit.
Minnesota had shot just 39 percent in the first half, just slightly better than they did in a 29-point loss in the series opener on Sunday.
“We knew at some point we’d see the aggressive, attacking Timberwolves,” Malone said. “In that third quarter we saw it, and they played great and we didn’t defend in the third quarter, but I was proud of how we responded in that fourth quarter.”
The series shifts to Minneapolis for Game 3 today.
In other games, Brook Lopez and Jrue Holiday combined for 49 points, while Bobby Portis stepped in for the injured Giannis Antetokounmpo and contributed a double-double as the Milwaukee Bucks rebounded from an opening loss to thump the Miami Heat 138-122 in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference first-round series.
Four other Bucks scored at least 16 points to allow Milwaukee to break even in their two opening home games before the best-of-seven moves to Miami for games 3 and 4 to begin tomorrow.
In Memphis, Tennessee, Xavier Tillman recorded a career-high 22 points and grabbed 13 rebounds as the Memphis Grizzlies overcame the absence of injured Ja Morant to produce a 103-93 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers to level their Western Conference series at 1-1.
In San Francisco, Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr defended Draymond Green as the “ultimate competitor” following the veteran’s one-game ban for stomping on Sacramento Kings player Domantas Sabonis.
Green was suspended after an explosive incident in the NBA champions’ Game 2 defeat to the Kings in Sacramento on Monday.
Green was ejected after stomping on Sabonis after the players tangled following a rebound.
The Warriors trail 2-0 in the best-of-seven series.
Meanwhile Kings fans making the drive to San Francisco for Game 3 today have been told to keep their cowbells at home.
The Kings warned their fans that cowbells are not permitted in Chase Center and fans trying to bring them in would be forced to leave them at the outdoor bag check location.
Cowbells have been prevalent at Kings games ever since former Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson called Sacramento a “cow town” two decades ago, leading to fans bringing the noisemakers to games during showdowns with the Lakers.
Additional reporting by AFP and Reuters
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