2 Studs & 3 Duds from Timberwolves massive game 6 win over Nuggets

The Timberwolves showed up with their backs against the wall and completely saved their season in front of their home crowd. The Nuggets had ripped off three straight wins in the series and it looked like they may have figured out the Wolves. But that certainly was not the case as Minnesota rallied behind a raucous Target Center crowd and hit Denver with a haymaker to force a game 7.

This game was reminiscent of game 2 when the Wolves just blitzed the Nuggets with their aggressive defense and physicality. The officials allowed them to play that way and their defense seemed to completely stifle Denver’s offense. To compound matters, the Nuggets weren’t making their open shots, then the Wolves started rolling and then it was an avalanche. The game was essentially over before anyone knew what hit them.

Anthony Edwards was the star of the night and continues his rise to superstardom and a potential takeover of the league. He bounced back from a tough Game 5 and put his imprint on the game from the opening tip, finishing with 14 points in a huge first quarter. Rudy Gobert bounced back as well with his best game of the series.

On the Nuggets' end of things, almost nobody played well, as the whole team looked almost stunned after the first few minutes of the game and they were never able to find their footing. Nikola Jokic had an off night by his standards, but he was the only one who seemed to be getting much of anything going on offense.

Overall, the Nuggets are going to need to completely regroup and swing things back around for Game 7 at home. They are certainly capable but they are going to need a much better 48-minute effort. The superstars’ play is an obvious factor, but here’s a look at two players who rose to the occasion in Game 6 and three who underwhelmed.