MINNEAPOLIS — It wasn't the Minnesota Timberwolves' dominant defense that Anthony Edwards credited with his team's 115-70 drubbing of the Denver Nuggets in Game 6 on Thursday. Nor was it his own surging offense, after Edwards led all scorers with 27 points and helped the Wolves outscore Denver by 43 in the 34 minutes he was on the court.
No, according to Edwards, it was simply the presence of Minnesota's 36-year-old point guard that made the difference in the Wolves snapping a three-game losing streak in the Western Conference semifinals to force Game 7 on Sunday.
“We got Mike Conley back,” Edwards said. “That was it.”
Conley, a 17-year veteran, missed Tuesday's Game 5 because of soreness in his right Achilles tendon. The Nuggets defense responded by attacking Edwards with double stances all night, and the Wolves missed Conley's ability to balance the floor.
“Obviously I wanted to play the last game,” Conley said. “I just couldn't move at all. Tonight was a no-brainer. I was going to try to find a way. We're better when we're a complete team.”
Conley scored 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting, 5 assists, 4 rebounds and no turnovers, but his impact was amplified by Minnesota's ability to deny Denver the opportunity to attack Edwards.
Edwards struggled with 18 points on 5-of-15 shooting and 4 turnovers in Game 5. He had a season-high 102 touches, according to Second Spectrum, and shouldered a huge portion of the offensive load for a Minnesota team. who was starting to sputter against the defending champions.
With Conley back in the lineup, Edwards' touches dropped to 64 in Game 6, and he was more efficient, going 8 for 17 and committing just one turnover.
“Mike means everything to us,” Wolves coach Chris Finch said. “He's incredible next to Anthony in terms of being able to set him up, play with him, be in his ear all the time. Smart defender. Just everything you want in a seasoned, veteran point guard and the simple fact that Ant “We don't have to handle it every time, that only helps us… We missed him desperately the other night.”
In the previous three games, the Wolves had lacked the type of close defense that led them to a 2-0 lead to open the series. The coaching staff wanted to remind them of what they were capable of and showed the players a video of their best defensive moments before kickoff.
“It was kind of a hype video,” said Wolves forward Jaden McDaniels, who scored 21 points on 8-of-10 shooting, 4 rebounds, 2 blocks and a steal on Thursday. “It had a good effect on us. It just showed that we're capable of competing with these guys. We've done it before.”
The defensive performance that followed was astonishing. The Wolves held Denver to 30.2% shooting overall, including 19.4% on 3-pointers. They won the rebounding battle 62-43, they won the turnover battle 12-6 and scored 19 points off those turnovers. The 70 points the Nuggets put up were a season low, including both the regular season and playoffs, 10 points shy of Denver's previous low when the Wolves clamped down on them in Game 2. The 45-point margin of victory points was the second most in the NBA. story of a team facing elimination in a postseason game.
“I don't think we should [forget about this loss]”said Nuggets star Nikola Jokic. “I think we need [let it] sink. Its a big lost. “They destroyed us and you should learn from it.”
The Wolves limited Jokic to 22 points and 2 assists after he scored 40 and 13 in Game 5, and limited Jamal Murray to 10 points on 4-of-18 shooting after he scored 16 points on 7-of-14 shooting in the game. 5. .
Karl-Anthony Towns (10 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists) was Jokic's main defender, and Edwards was in charge of following Murray.
“I want to be the best player on both sides of the ball in the NBA,” Edwards said. “It's something I've been working on. It all comes with being in shape… I wasn't tired at all chasing him and following him everywhere and contesting all of his shots. He's a great player, man, and I feel like I did a good job.” I work this night”.
The Wolves enter Sunday's Game 7 with a chance to reach the conference finals for the first time in 20 years.
“They're the defending champions, so it's going to be very difficult,” Edwards said. “They're at home. They're in the crib. Their fans are crazy. It's going to be super loud. But I feel like, as a competitor, it's one of the best feelings in the world… I'm super excited about it. I'm super happy. “I'm ready to play it.”
It looks like the Nuggets are ready too.
“It's all about mentality now,” Murray said. “All that is behind us, all those games we're talking about. [are] all behind us. “Now it's just Sunday who wins those 48 minutes and how we're going to do it.”
ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk contributed to this report.
