The Minnesota Timberwolves eliminated the Denver Nuggets on Sunday night with a 98-90 win in Game 7 on the road.
Minnesota was down by 15 points at the half, marking the largest halftime deficit overcome to win a Game 7. The Timberwolves trailed by as many as 20 points, making it the largest Game 7 comeback win in the past 25 seasons. The comeback began with a 28-9 run to end the third quarter, coinciding with nine points in the frame from Anthony Edwards.
Minnesota's star guard scored just four points in the first half. He finished with 16 on 6-of-24 shooting from the field, tied for his worst shooting game of the postseason. But he grabbed eight rebounds and dished out seven assists, both series highs.
Edwards came alive when it mattered most and helped the Timberwolves reach the Western Conference finals for the first time since 2004.
Here's a look at Minnesota's Game 7 triumph through Edwards' memorable moments.
'I'm finna get in my bag'
Even though he struggled to score, Edwards' confidence never wavered. As Minnesota cut the deficit to three points with 1:33 remaining in the third quarter, cameras caught Edwards foreshadowing a turnaround.
He finished the quarter by picking off Nuggets guard Jamal Murray for a steal leading to a dunk. Then, Edwards swished a 3-pointer to make it a one-point game. He also extended the Timberwolves' lead to 10 with 3:05 remaining in the game by hitting a 3-pointer, celebrating with a fan and completing his turnaround.
Taking in the moment
That late-third-quarter momentum carried over immediately as the Timberwolves took the lead 12 seconds into the fourth. Though Edwards couldn't find the basket, he made an impact in other areas.
As the primary defender on Murray, he held the Nuggets star to 2-for-6 shooting in the second half, 2-for-8 in the entire game. Murray had 24 points in the first half and finished with 35.
Up eight points with 1:17 minutes left in the game, Edwards pointed at the "Wolves" across his chest and shared a moment with Jaden McDaniels. Edwards said McDaniels, who had a team-high 23 points, deserved the game ball.
His support for the Minnesota forward isn't new. In 2023, when asked about the Phoenix Suns' acquisition of Kevin Durant, Edwards said: "They got KD, but we got Jaden McDaniels," indicating McDaniels would be able to defend him.
Waving goodbye to fans
The 22-year-old guard is never shy on or off the court.
The Nuggets missed an opportunity to cut the deficit to four with 33.4 seconds remaining in the game, leading to a rebound by Karl-Anthony Towns. Feeling that the win had been secured, Edwards brought the ball up the court and began waving goodbye to Nuggets fans on the defending champions' home court.
Anthony Edwards dribbles across half court in the final minute and waves goodbye to the Nuggets fans.
Minnesota recommendations for Barkley
Edwards joined the TNT crew for an interview postgame and instantly had a memorable quote.
Charles Barkley said he hadn't been to Minnesota in 20 years and wanted to ask Edwards for restaurant recommendations in the city. But before he could, the guard had a simple response.
Edwards ended up complying and agreed to send Barkley restaurant recommendations in the city.
Focused on this year with Towns
In his nine seasons with Minnesota, Karl-Anthony Towns has seen winning and losing sides of the NBA. He reached the playoffs only once in his first six seasons. He also endured five losing seasons, including going 19-45 in the 2019-20 year, leading to the No. 1 pick and selection of Edwards.
When asked about his emotions as he soaked in the moment of advancing to the next round, Towns began to reflect on everything he had been through. But Edwards playfully dismissed the struggles in Towns' past nine years, instead focusing on the present.
Ant 😅 pic.twitter.com/vE4bRvLLqr
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 20, 2024
Towns replied with "Man, f--- 'em, right" and Edwards followed up with: "This year."
The Timberwolves are one round away from making history this season -- a win against the Dallas Mavericks would mark the first time in franchise history Minnesota has reached the NBA Finals.
ESPN Stats & Information contributed to this story.