Timberwolves chew up Nuggets to force Game 7

The Wolves erased an early Nuggets lead with a 20-0 first-quarter run and never looked back, winning 115-70 to force a Game 7 on Sunday in Denver.

Even after breaking the game open early, Minnesota never eased up. After Nikola Jokic finally scored to stop the run, the Wolves scored another seven points in a row.

Anthony Edwards led the Timberwolves with 27 points and was a massive +43 in his 33 minutes. Jaden McDaniels had 21 points and two blocks, while Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert combined for 27 rebounds.

It was a total domination. Jamal Murray missed 10 of his first 11 shots and finished 4-for-18. Minnesota had 62 rebounds to Denver’s 43, stole the ball nine times and held the Nuggets to 30 percent shooting.

Nuggets head coach Michael Malone waved the white flag with 10 minutes to go, but that didn’t stop the devastation. Luka Garza took advantage of backups DeAndre Jordan and Zeke Nnaji, and Minnesota outscored Denver 29-9 to punctuate the victory.

The Nuggets tied their lowest-scoring quarter of the season in the first, then were even worse in the fourth. Minnesota’s relentless defense focused on doubling Jokic and collapsing on him in the paint. When Jokic shared the ball, his teammates couldn’t hit threes, bunnies or the broad side of a barn.

Denver looked dead after losing the first two games of the series at home. Minnesota looked dead after three straight losses. Now Denver looks dead again.

But they’re both still alive for a big Game 7.