Timberwolves survive in overtime, beat Nuggets 114-108

MINNEAPOLIS(AP) — Anthony Edwards scored 34 points, Karl-Anthony Towns had 17points and 11 rebounds, and the Minnesota Timberwolves beat theDenver Nuggets 114-108 in overtime in Game 4 to avoid eliminationSunday night.

NikolaJokic tied a playoff career high with 43 points and added 11rebounds and six assists for the Nuggets, who were looking for thefour-game sweep.

Rudy Gobertadded 14 points and 15 rebounds for Minnesota, which held on afterDenver scored the final 12 points of regulation to force overtime.Mike Conley had 19 points for the Timberwolves.

Game 5 isTuesday in Denver.

JamalMurray finished with 19 points and Aaron Gordon 14 for Denver,which looked prime to have a chance to rest before the second roundwhere it would face the winner of the Suns-Clippers series, whichPhoenix leads 3-1.

Edwards,who put together several electrifying moments in his first All-Starseason, resurrected Minnesota in the third as the Timberwolves wenton a 23-9 run. Edwards scored 16 of his points in the quarter andthe Timberwolves eventually led by 12 midway through thefourth.

Minnesotalost in the first round to Memphis last year, surrendering threedouble-digit, fourth-quarter leads.

This time,Jokic took another Wolves’ lead away.

The21-year-old Edwards took a step forward this year while Townsmissed 52 games with a calf strain. He took over the scoring loadfor Minnesota and was supported by his veteran teammates, whoimplored the athletic youngster to take control in games.

The Nuggetswere pressed to a fifth game, but they still look like a teamprimed for a long playoff run. They also might have found an answerto their biggest issue:survivingwhen the two-time MVP Jokic isn’t on the floor.

With Gordonplaying the backup center minutes, the Nuggets didn’t just survive,they outscored Minnesota without Jokic by six points.

WILDFINISH

Edwardsdrained a step-back jumper with 2:52 left in regulation that gavethe Wolves a 96-84 lead, their largest of the game, and he smiledat the crowd as the Nuggets called timeout. Denver wasn’t done,though. Jokic hit the first of three straight 3-pointers, followedby a pair from Porter.

Conleytried to pass in the lane to Gobert, but the big man couldn’t grabit in traffic and the Nuggets turned the turnover into a jumper byJokic that cut the lead to one point with 49 seconds left. Gobertwas swarmed again on Minnesota’s next possession and had his shotblocked by Porter.

Jokic gotfouled by Towns on the other end and made one of two free throws totie the game with 12 seconds to go. Edwards had the ball at the endfor the potential game-winner, but Kentavious Caldwell-Pope knockedit out of his hands before he could shoot.

TIP-INS

Nuggets:The league’s best shooting team in the regular season, Denver shotjust 44.2% from the field and was 12 of 35 from 3, its worstnumbers of the series.

Timberwolves: Kyle Anderson was declared out with a left eye/facialcontusion after taking an errant hand to the face from Edwards inthe fourth. ... Minnesota held a 22-12 advantage in benchscoring.