After the Nuggets defeated the Timberwolves on Tuesday for the third straight time, many believed that Anthony Edwards’ squad would not be able to recover from that loss. But tonight, back on their home court, the Wolves bounced back with an authoritative forty-five-point blowout win to upset the defending Champs and keep their title dreams alive. A major reason for the Wolves’ dominant performance was the return of veteran sharpshooter Mike Conley, who missed the last game due to a sore right Achilles tendon. Now, Rudy Gobert seems to have realized Gobert’s importance and even made the latter make a promise after the game.
Walking to the locker room after the statement win, Gobert and Rudy shared a wholesome moment as the four-time DPOY told Conley, “Don’t ever leave me again.” Responding to the message with a big smile on his face, Conley promised, “I won’t do that to you again brother.” Having gone through multiple battles together, first as teammates during their Utah Jazz days and now in Minnesota, it is understandable why Gobert feels more comfortable on the court having Conley by his side.
Rudy telling Mike, “don’t ever leave me again”
Mike Conley’s return was pivotal tonight for Minnesota pic.twitter.com/57w26JLcUe
— Pierre Noujaim (@TheNoujFOX9) May 17, 2024
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Even in these playoffs, Conley has played a huge part in the Wolves’ success, averaging over eleven points in nine games. On top of that, he has helped the team become a major shooting threat from outside by making nearly forty percent of his shots from a distance. Conley has also been dishing out almost seven assists on a nightly basis and makes his teammates better when he is on the floor while also giving the star players more freedom to operate. In a similar fashion, scoring thirteen points, nine of which came from the three-point line, Conley played a huge role in their win.
Can the Wolves dethrone the reigning Champions?
With Mike Conley returning to the lineup, the Timberwolves got a fresh burst of energy that likely sparked their historic win against the Nuggets. Limiting the defending Champs to just seventy points, the Wolves showed why they are the best defensive team in the league. Their three-point shooting also benefited immensely after Conley’s return as they ended up making eight more shots from distance than the visiting team. Moreover, Ant-Man finally returned to his peak form after his disappointing Game 5 performance and scored twenty-seven points to save Minnesota’s season.
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Meanwhile, the star of the show turned out to be Jaden McDaniels who dropped twenty-one points on a highly efficient eighty percent shooting. Even Edwards couldn’t stop himself from praising Jaden’s effort, “This guy right here, he led us tonight.” Bursting with pride, Ant-Man was more than thrilled to credit Jaden for the season-saving victory.
“Yeah, I told them, I said I’ll see y’all motherf**kers for Game 7.” Confirming the rumors about what he said to the Nuggets staff after losing the last game in Denver, Anthony Edwards lived up to what he boldly stated. Now, as we head toward the two most exciting words in the sports world, ‘Game 7’, fans cannot wait to watch what happens on Sunday. If the Wolves want to dethrone the reigning Champs, they will have to come out with the same energy and intensity they did tonight. Meanwhile, the Nuggets will not give up their throne so easily and will try everything to win back-to-back. Which side are you on as action is set to unfold?