The Minnesota Timberwolves found themselves back at Target Center and up against elimination in game 6 of the Western Conference Finals on Thursday night. But rather than wilt, Anthony Edwards & Co rose to the occasion and dominated the reigning champions to the tune of a 45 point beatdown that now has the series tied 3-3 .
Held to 4-of-18 shooting for just 10 points, Murray looked like a shell of the dynamic, pure shooting running mate he has proven to be, for the defending champion Denver Nuggets and Nikole Jokic. His problem?
Jamal Murray Says “Who” When Asked About Anthony Edwards
Well, Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels were in Murray’s back pocket all night, turning one of the best offensive players in the NBA to a non-factor. Don’t bother asking Jamal Murray about any of this, though. It was all about a bad elbow, apparently. Rather than give Edwards his flowers though, Murray responded “who?”
Reporter : “How difficult did Anthony Edwards make it for you tonight?”
Murray: “I mean, who? For me? For me?”
Reporter : “Yeah, for you.”
Murray: “I mean, it was less about [Anthony Edwards], it was more about my elbow, at that point. Every time… even some of my passes, you know? It was more offensively for him, it wasn’t guarding me, he was scoring on the other end. He was scoring at a great rate. And then on top of that, Mike Conley, Jaden McDaniels had a great game. Everybody on their team brought their game today. We weren’t able to defend them, keep them out of the paint of off the line. So yeah, we just gotta be better.”
It was mostly Ant, Jaden and Nickeal Walker-Alexander who shut down the Nuggets’ talented guard, but Minnesota’s defense isn’t based on the performance of a single player. They didn’t even have Defensive Player of the Year, Rudy Gobert, in Game 2.
But an ingenious Chris Finch game plan, flawlessly executed by Wolves players led to a stomping in Denver. They didn’t bring it in games 3 and 4, and they were crushed. In game 5, they missed Mike Conley. But Thursday night, it all came back together. And it started with Minnesota’s superstar Anthony Edwards manning up on Jamal Murray on defense from the opening tip, something Jamal had no desire to acknowledge.
Minnesota Timberwolves vs Denver Nuggets goes to game 7
Despite the question being about whether Anthony Edwards was worth crediting for the defensive performance that the Minnesota Timberwolves put on Jamal Murray Thursday, the Denver Nuggets guard suggested he was dealing with an elbow injury.
That hasn’t been a prominent talking point during any part of the series, and it certainly wasn’t an issue while he was going off either of the past two games. With a couple of days in between Game 6 and Game 7, Murray will have time to heal.
Related: Timberwolves Draw Jamal Murray’s Favorite Referee for Game 6 vs Nuggets
Edwards will need to heal his lower back and hip after a nasty fall as well, but only one of them made any mention of an injury slowing them down. Murray has made sure to talk plenty this series, and Ant has welcomed all of it.
With everything on the line for Game 7, it’s time for Anthony Edwards to remind Jamal Murray and the rest of the basketball world where he he stands in the league’s pecking order, today.
Read More: Report: Mike Conley Expected to Play
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