Nuggets blow big lead in Game 2, go to Minnesota tied with Timberwolves in NBA playoffs

Bennett Durando, The Denver Post on Apr 21, 2026

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The Nuggets can’t wiggle themselves free of the fangs of the Wolves, no matter how hard they try.

They’re going to Minneapolis in a tied first-round playoff series, 1-1, after blowing a 19-point lead and dropping Game 2 at home Monday night, 119-114.

Denver’s missed opportunities loomed nightmarish over a 6-0 Timberwolves run that flipped the game in the last five minutes. Nikola Jokic missed short on a contested layup over Rudy Gobert that’s usually automatic for him, the long rebound leading directly into a Minnesota fast break. David Adelman used a timeout to reset and draw up a play, down 110-107. It resulted in an open 3-point attempt for Murray, who missed on an otherwise stellar 6-for-14 night from deep.

The Timberwolves locked up Denver’s patented two-man game. Gobert bullied Jokic out of the way for a put-back dunk to double the lead with two minutes left. Aaron Gordon cashed a triple to cut it to one, but Donte DiVincenzo got free for an answer. It gave Minnesota a 115-111 edge with 1:05 to play. Jokic threw down a dunk on Gobert at the other end to keep the Nuggets within range.

But at the end of an night of odd anti-aggression from Jokic, he made an uncharacteristic decision that will linger as the biggest what-if of the series so far. With a chance to bury a game-tying floater in the pick-and-roll, he instead passed out of his form at the last second to Christian Braun, who was grounded in the dunker spot, not soaring for an alley-oop. He nonetheless drew a foul. A trip to the line. A chance, maybe, to force overtime.

Not quite. The Timberwolves missed 11 free throws on the night, but Braun’s miss with 19 seconds left just about sealed Denver’s fate. Down three on the next possession, Murray settled for an ill-advised midrange jumper, and the Wolves ran out the clock howling with laughter.

It snapped a 13-game win streak for the Nuggets. They're now 1-5 in their last six Game 2s.

Anthony Edwards amassed 30 points and 10 rebounds on a shaky knee. Murray matched him in scoring. Jokic finished with 24 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists. He shot 8 for 20.

The first half alone belongs in the annals of instant classics between the Nuggets and Wolves. It packed in all the emotional swings that have characterized the best games between these star-crossed rivals. It included a sequence in which Denver converted three different 4-point plays in a span of four possessions. That wasn't even the weirdest thing that happened. It was late in the first quarter, as the Nuggets were piling on against an underdog that appeared physically limited and emotionally distant.

Edwards was limping around, voluntarily not involving himself in some of Minnesota's possessions. The Wolves were stagnant. The Nuggets were inspired. Hardaway powered Ball Arena's electricity for the next month with a double-dip of effort plays, diving two rows into the stands to save a loose ball on Denver's baseline, climbing out as the Nuggets turned it over, then gathering himself just in time to take a charge against Minnesota's ensuing 3-on-1.

Then the Timberwolves got frisky. Down 44-35 early in the second quarter, they started whittling away while Gobert and Jonas Valanciunas traded fouls. Gobert picked up three in as many minutes. Valanciunas got tagged with two and a technical. Minnesota was on an 11-0 run by the time Adelman used a timeout to get Jokic back on the floor ahead of schedule. Not even that helped. With Gobert sentenced to the bench, Chris Finch had to go smaller with Randle at the five. Jokic wasn't aggressive enough against those lineups until the second half, and the Wolves suddenly couldn't miss a shot.

They took the lead five minutes after trailing by 19. Overall, they engineered a 27-point swing in 10 minutes. Edwards suddenly had 20 points and a spring in his step.

Then the Nuggets struck back, scoring the last eight of the half. It ended in deja vu. Murray splashed a game-tying 51-footer at the buzzer, his league-leading fourth bucket of the season from behind halfcourt. In Game 4 between the Nuggets and Wolves, the first half finished identically -- with an 8-0 run and a heave from Murray. Denver went on to win the game. Not the series. This time, Game 2 went into intermission deadlocked and the slate was wiped clean, as the basketball gods intended.

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