The greatest Game 7 comeback in NBA history was accomplished by the Minnesota Timberwolves, who overcame a 20-point hole to upset the Denver Nuggets 98-90 and force the reigning champs to surrender.

With Denver apparently set to secure a spot in the Western Conference Finals and the Ball Arena audience focused on a game involving Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks, Minnesota found itself behind 58-38 at the start of the third quarter.

Rather, the Timberwolves dramatically changed the course of events by defeating Denver 28-14 in the third game and continuing the winning streak in the fourth to clinch the series triumph.

Rudy Gobert was blocked by Michael Porter Jr. to start the game on Monday, and the Minnesota big man instantly answered the block. It was a defensive struggle from the off.

Jamal Murray’s three-pointer to start the Denver offense was a precursor to things to come as the guard for the Nuggets finished the period with two more long-range baskets.

The Nuggets had started the game shooting 2-for-13 from the field, but they completed the quarter on a 7-0 run to turn around their poor shooting performance and take a 24-19 lead at the half.

The Timberwolves didn’t start off much better either, going 2 for 9 in the first quarter, but Jaden McDaniels’ leaping save of an Aaron Gordon shot set the tone for the defense.

After falling behind 30-19 early in the second quarter due to Nuggets coach Michael Malone’s decision to start Nikola Jokic in the game, Minnesota needed to quickly regain that same energy.

Jokic made the first basket of the quarter, and then Porter Jr.—who had only scored eighteen points in the previous three games—began to heat up, making Minnesota take a timeout with back-to-back baskets.

Denver was shooting well, but the reigning champions were also setting the terms with their blitzing defense, which was bothering Wolves guard Anthony Edwards—especially because his teammates were missing jumpers.

After a 16-0 Denver run was eventually stopped by a Gobert free throw, McDaniels scored five straight points to trim the Nuggets’ lead to 34-27. The Minnesota defensive star first drained a 3-pointer before making the most of a Mike Conley steal.

This Nuggets machine has proven difficult to stop when Murray is in the zone, as he was after making a fadeaway jumper over Kyle Anderson and thrilling the Denver fans.

Jokic gave Denver a 48-33 lead late in the second quarter, and things looked to be out of control, but Karl-Anthony Towns scored back-to-back baskets to cut the lead to 10 points.

After Edwards intercepted a terrible pass from Jokic, the Timberwolves appeared to have a chance to close out the quarter, but second-year guard Christian Braun stuck with the play, chasing down Conley and stopping his attempt.

After Braun’s hustling play, which was one of many off the bench in the first half, Murray scored a basket on the other end to give Denver a comfortable 53-38 lead at the break.

With the first five points of the third quarter, Murray continued where he left off, and Minnesota increased their defensive pressure, going on a 15-1 run as a result.

Unfortunately for Denver, it was just the beginning of a strong third quarter for the Timberwolves, who entered the fourth quarter only down 67-66 despite down 58-38 at one point.

Before the last quarter, coach Malone said to TNT Sports, “It has to start with our offense.”

For us, the offense marks the start of the defense. Our offense failed to execute and manage the ball throughout that quarter, and they started acting very aggressively in the open court.

The Nuggets’ offense didn’t fare any better to start the fourth quarter, as they fell behind 77-72 and had to rely on jumpers like Jokic’s three-pointers.

If ever a play represented the way the game was going, it was Gobert’s fadeaway at the buzzer with 7:44 still on the clock.

Gordon then failed to finish at the rim on the following possession, giving the Nuggets a frustrating reminder of how hard they were being forced to battle for scores in the closing minutes of the game.

However, Minnesota was still working hard to get buckets, as demonstrated by the fact that Naz Reid fouled out while battling for an offensive rebound and made both free throws to give the Timberwolves an 87-82 lead heading into the final four minutes of play.

After blocking Jokic, Reid made a huge play on the other end by smashing the glass to grab an additional offensive rebound, which he later sunk.

Even though there were only three minutes remaining, Reid once again made the proper play after Murray committed a turnover, putting Edwards free in the corner for the game-winning 3-pointer.

At that point, the Timberwolves were up 92-82 and had the upper hand. They didn’t let it go to eliminate the Nuggets and secure a date in the Western Conference Finals.