Timberwolves overcome key injuries to extend series lead over Nuggets

[p]All-Star guard [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/edwards-anthony/6u0BMZM2/"]Anthony Edwards[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/divincenzo-donte/4zqUIf5Q/"]Donte DiVincenzo[/a] both exited in the first half, Edwards suffering a left knee injury when he came down awkwardly after contesting a basket shortly before half-time.[/p][p]DiVincenzo was hurt less than two minutes into the contest and according to ESPN suffered a torn right Achilles tendon.[/p][p][b]"This is for them,"[/b] said [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/dosunmu-ayo/IesK6I5I/"]Dosunmu[/a], who made all five of his three-point attempts and became just the fourth bench player in playoff history to score 40 points in a game.[/p][p][b]"Ayo was just out of this world," [/b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/minnesota-timberwolves/KjBIVQcI/"]Timberwolves[/a] coach Chris Finch said. [b]"Just play after play after play."[/b][/p][embed guid="37f56e5d-958b-4aa7-a120-06d4050774b2" url="https://x.com/Timberwolves/status/2048259702371270844" social-type="twitter" /][p]Trailing by four at half-time, Minnesota bore down in the second half [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/basketball/denver-nuggets-CxvW27TI/minnesota-timberwolves-KjBIVQcI/?mid=xrxHa8ce"]to pull away[/a] in front of an ecstatic crowd at their Target Center arena in Minneapolis.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/reid-naz/zDWvtXt5/"]Naz Reid[/a] added 17 points off the bench to help the Timberwolves withstand a 30-point performance from [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/murray-jamal/Ig5nQrEF/"]Jamal Murray[/a] and a near triple-double of 24 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists from [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/jokic-nikola/dUHaiJ5n/"]Nikola Jokic[/a].[/p][p][b]Three-time MVP Jokic and the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/denver-nuggets/CxvW27TI/"]Nuggets[/a], who have lost three straight games, will be trying to fend off elimination in the best-of-seven Western Conference series when they host game five on Monday.[/b][/p][p]It promises to be tense after a scuffle at the buzzer sparked when Minnesota's [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/mcdaniels-jaden/0pp52ftg/"]Jaden McDaniels[/a] scored a basket with the outcome decided and most players heading to the sideline.[/p][p]An irked Jokic rushed him and players had to be separated.[/p]