Anthony Edwards made excellent decisions in addition to precise shots.

He passed when he gathered an audience. He shot when he was open, frequently swishing.

Defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets were defeated 106-99 in Game 1 of the second-round series on Saturday night by the Minnesota Timberwolves, who were led by a career-high 43 points from Edwards and a franchise postseason record 16 points from Naz Reid.

With 25 points in the first half, Edwards was unstoppable, and in the fourth quarter, Reid took control. Despite foul problems, Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 20 points. In the second half, the Timberwolves shot an incredible 71.1% from the field.

Edwards, who shot 17 of 29 from the field and recorded his third career playoff game with 40 or more points, stated, “The whole team, we trust each other.” “Who takes the shot at the end is irrelevant.”

All a part of Edwards’ development as a player.

Conley, who ended with 14 points and 10 assists, said of his acceptance of the kind of growth required to get to where he is, “I’m proud of the way he’s accepted that.” “A 22- or 23-year-old finds it difficult to adjust that fast.”

Edwards chipped in with a lighthearted “Twenty-two.”

Denver will host Game 2 on Monday night.

Timberwolves coach Chris Finch was on the bench in the second row, behind assistant coach Micah Nori, who handled the coaching, roaming, and switching, three days after having knee surgery. 

Finch was positioned adjacent to the scorer’s table. In Minnesota’s Round 1 victory against Phoenix last week, Finch was involved in a collision with Wolves point guard Mike Conley that caused a rupture of the patellar tendon in his right knee.

“Every play we scored on was my call, and every play we didn’t score on was his,” chuckled Nori. “(Finch) was excellent. He said, using the phrase “we don’t want to make it clunky.” We performed that well.

In addition to his 32 points, eight rebounds, and nine assists, Denver’s two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic also committed seven turnovers. Following a scoreless first half, Jamal Murray scored 17 points. Murray, who helped the Nuggets defeat the Lakers in five games with two game-winning baskets in Round 1, was 6 of 14 from the field.

Jokic stated, “We need to do a better job of forcing them to make difficult shots, maybe make the extra pass.”

The Timberwolves broke the tie at 84 with an 18-7 run. During the crucial stretch, Reid led the Timberwolves to 10 straight points at one point. The Nuggets’ efforts to guarantee that Edwards was covered at all times benefited Reid.

Reid stated, “(Edwards) always makes the right play when he draws three people.” “I’ve watched him develop from Day 1 to this point; if he’s not already a superstar, he soon will be.”

Despite being without Reid (broken wrist) and Jaden McDaniels (broken hand) and with Towns returning from a serious calf injury that had sidelined him 52 games, the Wolves posed a formidable first-round opponent for Denver last year. This time, the injury report had no mention of any Timberwolves players.

Regarding Jokic, Edwards remarked, “It’s always fun to go up against the best player in the world.” “It’s always fun to play against the best team in the world.”

Denver coach Michael Malone said that in addition to being healthier, the Timberwolves were also significantly superior because of Edwards’ game-changing breakthrough.

Malone declared, “He has no weaknesses in his game.” “And attempting to slow him down is going to be extremely difficult.”

especially with all of his assistance.

Naz Reid started moving. Then Karl-Anthony Towns started. Mike Conley got things going, and in the first half, Anthony Edwards was the clear winner, according to Malone. “However, I felt that there was not nearly enough physicality or discipline in the second half, and they were able to get whatever they wanted.”