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The Minnesota Timberwolves have taken a commanding 2-0 lead against the defending NBA champions Denver Nuggets, making a strong statement in the second round of the 2024 NBA playoffs.
Following a humbling 106-80 loss at home, Nuggets veteran Reggie Jackson had some things to get off his chest, using three words to explain the key takeaway from this game.
"They punked us," Jackson told reporters when explaining how the Timberwolves managed to win that game. "They're literally just man-handling us."
Jackson claimed the Nuggets lost the game without fighting, which is something they must do to try to overcome the 2-0 deficit, especially considering they're going into hostile territory in Minnesota, where opposing fans will try to play their role and help the Timberwolves close the door.
The 2023 NBA champions know they can come back from this, but that won't be an easy job by any means.
How did the Timberwolves dismantle the Nuggets?
Last season, the Minnesota Timberwolves already showed they were coming. Despite being eliminated by the Nuggets in the first round of the 2023 playoffs, Anthony Edwards, Karl-Anthony Towns and company demonstrated that they will be contenders for several years.
Nobody expected them to be this good in the postseason so quickly, but here they are, up 2-0 against the Nuggets with Edwards scoring 70 points in two games.
The guard is keen to take over the NBA and he's doing it in the best way, going against legends of the game like Kevin Durant and Nikola Jokic. Even without Rudy Gobert on the court, Ant and KAT carried their team with 27 points apiece.
In a season that saw young players like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Tyrese Haliburton and Tyrese Maxey improve their games, Anthony Edwards appears to be the best player of all. If the T'Wolves pull off this win and continue their good moment, there's no doubt he'll finish this year as a top-five player in the NBA.
