Before the Minnesota Timberwolves’ Game 7 against the Denver Nuggets, which will determine who will win their Western Conference semifinal series against the defending NBA champions, Anthony Edwards and Naz Reid engaged in a shooting competition following practice on Saturday. From the same spot, the Wolves’ budding star and the league’s Sixth Man of the Year began their careers.
They then had to shoot five 3-pointers from seven different locations on the court to see who could finish first from the other corner. Reid found himself stuck in slot No. 3, hammering away on the wing, but Edwards quickly ascended to the final corner spot in the shoot-until-you-miss style.
Reid had a chance to catch up when Edwards began making long-range jumpers that launched the ball nearly to the ceiling of the Nuggets’ practice court. When Reid eventually got his rhythm and dribbled around the 3-point line, which was two positions from the end corner, Edwards stopped teasing him. With a cool head, he returned to his typical shooting form and ended the match. It was kind of
After starting the game with a 2-0 lead, Minnesota went on to lose three straight games to fall behind 3-2. On Thursday, they beat the Nuggets by 45 points to set up the final game on Sunday. In addition, Edwards looks at the Nuggets with the same self-assurance he displayed on Saturday when he smiled at Reid before making the final corner 3 to win their shootout. Edwards stated, “I think we’re confident just because we’re a great team.” “We feel like we are the better team because we are going up against another great team. That is all the assurance we require. The Wolves’ previous two games, both of which they won in Denver, are meaningless. They beat us up on our home court, so it doesn’t matter. It’s all about who will play better tomorrow right now.”
The Wolves were at their best in Game 6, holding the Nuggets to 70 points on just 30.2% shooting (19.4% from 3-point range), a franchise playoff low. Although Edwards led the game with 27 points, he wasn’t the only Minnesota player to contribute.
After missing Game 5 with a sore right Achilles, Mike Conley returned to the game with 13 points and 5 assists, while Jaden McDaniels scored 21 points on 8-for-10 shooting. Karl-Anthony Towns played solid defense against three-time MVP Nikola Jokic and finished with 10 points, 13 rebounds, and 5 assists. Rudy Gobert (8 points, 14 rebounds) and Reid (10 points, 11 rebounds off the bench) also contributed significantly. In his 17th season, 36-year-old Conley has gone 0-4 in Game 7s. When Conley was with the Utah Jazz in the NBA bubble in the first round of the 2020 playoffs, the most recent defeat came against the same Nuggets.
Conley attempted a game-winning pull-up 3 from the left wing with time running out after receiving an outlet pass near center court with the score 80-78. The Nuggets moved forward after the rim parted. Conley declared on Saturday, “I’ve replayed it a lot [in my mind].” “It was hard to have that chance to win a Game 7 like that and not be able to make the shot. We are now in a similar situation, playing the same team and many of the same players. So, it’s just something I’ve been thinking about for a while for me.” Conley, who is currently playing for his third team and has appeared in more than one full postseason game (his 88th on Sunday) is aware that he may not have many more opportunities.
