Rudy Gobert Holds Nikola Jokic to 1-of-8 as Timberwolves Beat Nuggets, Tie Series 1-1

Rudy Gobert’s defense helped the Minnesota Timberwolves hold Nikola Jokic to 1-of-8 shooting in their Game 2 matchup, and Minnesota used that work to beat the Denver Nuggets 119-114 and tie their first-round series at 1-1.

“23:00 00:00 02:30 Wed23:00 Wed 23:00 Thu01:30 Thu 01:30 Thu23:00 Thu 23:00 Fri00:00 Fri 00:00 Fri01:30 Fri 01:30 Fri23:00 Fri 23:00 Sat00:00 Sat 00:00 Sat02:30 Sat 02:30 Sat17:00 Sat 17:00 Sat19:30 Sat 19:30 Sat22:00 Sat 22:00 Sun00:30 Sun 00:30 04-2617:00 04-2619:30 04-2623:00 04-2701:30 David Adelman admitted he wanted Nikola Jokic to take the crucial shot, after the Denver Nuggets lost 119-114 to the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 2”

BasketNews

ESPN described Gobert’s impact as “three one-on-one stops in the closing minutes,” and said the result was “the worst shooting performance in Jokic's playoff career against a single defender (minimum six shot attempts).”

BasketNews

Gobert, who ESPN noted finished fourth in Defensive Player of the Year voting, said, “I was lucky,” adding, “A top-three defender cannot do that. So I was lucky.”

The game’s late moments featured a sequence where Gobert picked up his fourth foul at the 7:09 mark and sat the rest of the quarter, after which Jokic scored 14 of his 24 points in the final seven minutes.

ESPN also reported that Anthony Edwards called Gobert over in the huddle before the final 12 minutes and told him, “I told him we ain't bringing no double team,” and “You gonna guard [Jokic] one-on-one.”

In the fourth quarter, Jamal Murray missed his final four shots in the last four minutes in the last four minutes, including a pull-up with 11 seconds left that “essentially sealed Denver's fate,” according to ESPN.

Heavy’s account of the same Game 2 emphasized a different closing storyline: Jokic passed to Christian Braun with 25 seconds left, Braun was fouled and missed both free throws, and “Ultimately, it was Edwards who got the last laugh.”

The Game 2 loss carried a sense of escalating tension, with ESPN and Heavy both pointing to late-game confrontations and a charged finish.

ESPN said the game included “a surge in the third quarter” after Jokic’s early struggles, but it also described how Gobert picked up fouls and how the final minutes turned into a direct matchup between defenders and stars.

CBS Sports

Heavy reported that Game 2 included “a scuffle between Nikola Jokic and Anthony Edwards with 30.6 seconds left in the fourth quarter,” and it added that “Neither team has commented on the presumed altercation.”

Heavy further framed the final possession as a decision that “solidified the Wolves win,” describing how Jokic had the ball with 25 seconds left “ready to take a wide open floater over Edwards” but instead passed to Christian Braun.

In parallel, Sports Illustrated’s recap described the fourth quarter as the point where “the intensity ratcheted up to a max in the fourth,” and it detailed a defensive sequence in which Gobert forced multiple misses and then dunked on Jokic after ripping an offensive rebound away.

Sports Illustrated wrote that “With three mintues to go, Jokic missed again with Gobert guarding him,” and then at “2:05 remaining, Gobert ripped an offensive rebound away from Jokic and dunked in his face.”

The Denver Post similarly emphasized the “uncharacteristic decision” by Jokic, saying that with a chance to bury a game-tying floater “he instead passed out of his form at the last second to Christian Braun.”

After Minnesota’s win, the sources captured sharp, sometimes personal reactions from players and coaches, with multiple quotes underscoring how the Game 2 finish reverberated.

“DENVER -- On the same day he finished fourth in Defensive Player of the Year voting, Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert held three-time MVP Nikola Jokic to 1-of-8 shooting in his individual Game 2 matchup”

ESPN

ESPN reported that Rudy Gobert felt snubbed in Defensive Player of the Year voting and said, “Not the first time I've gotten disrespected,” adding, “Probably not the last.”

ESPN also quoted Anthony Edwards criticizing his own efficiency while attacking the box score narrative, saying, “S---'s ass,” and then, “I missed 15 shots tonight, two free throws. I'll be better.”

In the same ESPN account, Edwards explained the defensive plan in the huddle, telling Gobert, “Stop fouling. Stop going for the reach-in. Because he's going to flop.”

The Denver Post included a different Edwards quote about the series, reporting that “You get too high,” Tim Hardaway Jr. said, “and you get, I don’t want to say cocky, but feeling yourself.”

Heavy and BasketNews both focused on the late-game decision and the trust behind it, with Heavy quoting Jokic’s explanation: “I thought I had a pass… I should definitely take that floater.”

BasketNews added a direct quote from David Adelman: “You always want him to shoot that shot. But he sees what he sees out there.”

While the Game 2 result is consistent across outlets—Timberwolves 119-114 over the Nuggets to tie the series 1-1—sources diverged in how they framed the decisive late-game moment and the surrounding narrative.

ESPN centered the story on Gobert’s defense and the way it disrupted Jokic and Murray, saying Gobert “bothered Jokic into three crucial misses” and that Murray “missed his final four shots in the last four minutes.”

Eurohoops

ESPN also described the late-game plan as Edwards telling Gobert to guard Jokic “one-on-one,” and it portrayed the series as increasingly animated, with McDaniels adding a pointed comment about Denver defenders.

Heavy, by contrast, foregrounded the final possession as a “costly pass” and described Jokic’s decision to pass to Christian Braun after being ready for a “wide open floater over Edwards.”

The Denver Post treated Jokic’s pass as “the biggest what-if of the series so far,” writing that with a chance to bury a game-tying floater “he instead passed out of his form at the last second to Christian Braun.”

Sports Illustrated offered yet another angle, describing the fourth quarter as a defensive onslaught where Gobert forced misses and then the game’s final sequence hinged on free throws and a missed front end by Braun.

Eurohoops added a player-to-player perspective, quoting Jokic’s praise of Gobert: “He can reach the ball from any kind of angle,” and it described the debated moment as Murray’s contested midrange two-pointer instead of a game-tying three-pointer.

With the series tied 1-1, the sources pointed to the next step: Game 3 shifting to Minnesota, with a specific time and venue detail appearing in at least one report.

“Up 19 points in the first half against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Denver Nuggets let Game 2 slip through their fingers”

Heavy

ESPN said the Timberwolves tied the series at 1-1 with their 119-114 win, and it described how the matchup’s intensity carried into the postgame, including Jaden McDaniels’ comments about Denver defenders.

Heavy

Heavy stated that “Game 3 heads to Minnesota on April 23, with a tip-off time of 4:30 P.M. local time,” and it framed the tension as something that would shape “the remainder of the series.”

Sports Illustrated similarly said the series moves to Minneapolis for Games 3 and 4, and it quoted Anthony Edwards saying, “It’s 1-1,” and “Hopefully our fans rattle them a little bit when they come to our crib. We’ll be ready.”

The Denver Post echoed the series shift by reporting that the Nuggets “go to Minnesota tied with Timberwolves in NBA playoffs” after blowing a 19-point lead and dropping Game 2 at home.

Beyond the schedule, the sources described what each team must address: ESPN highlighted that Jokic’s early shooting slump was followed by a third-quarter surge, while the Denver Post emphasized the “uncharacteristic decision” that became the “biggest what-if.”

Heavy and BasketNews both focused on the late-game decision-making, with Jokic saying, “We had two free throws, you know? It was a bad ending,” and Adelman stressing, “I trust CB to make free throws.”