Anthony Edwards helps Timberwolves avoid sweep by Nuggets

MINNEAPOLIS — Anthony Edwards wasn't ready for his season to be over. And he certainly wasn't ready for the Denver Nuggets to send the Minnesota Timberwolves packing without winning a game in their first-round series.

«I don't ever want to say I got swept in my career,» Edwards said Sunday night. «So I definitely took it personally tonight.»

With their backs against the wall, the eighth-seeded Timberwolves took down the top-seeded Nuggets in overtime, 114-108, to avoid the sweep and send the series back to Denver with the Nuggets leading 3-1.

It looked like the Timberwolves were going to cruise to victory late in the game as they took a 12-point lead on an Edwards jumper with 2:52 remaining, drawing a timeout from Nuggets coach Michael Malone.

From there, Denver finished regulation on a 12-0 run to send the game to overtime and quiet the Target Center faithful.

The Nuggets hit three consecutive 3-pointers — one by Nikola Jokic and two from Michael Porter Jr. — and then Jokic hit a jumper in the lane with 48.9 seconds left to cut Minnesota's advantage to 96-95. With 12.7 seconds left, Jokic was fouled and hit one of two free throws to tie the game.

Edwards had a chance to win the game in regulation but was stripped by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope as he rose for a shot in the final seconds.

«At that point it was like, (there's) nothing we can do about the last two minutes. But we can control the next five,» Timberwolves veteran point guard Mike Conley said. «Let's come out here as a group and lock back in on what we did to get that lead.»

Despite finishing with a team-high 34 points on 12-of-27 shooting, Edwards was critical of his play in the fourth quarter and his overall game in general.

«I played terrible if you ask me,»