Timberwolves dominate, Knicks win another thriller; PSG vs. Dortmund UCL semifinals preview

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THE MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES AND THE NEW YORK KNICKS

Wolves are known as ruthless hunters who dominate those who dare challenge them.

The Timberwolves, as it turns out, can do that too.

Minnesota crushed the Nuggets 106-80 in an all-encompassing beatdown that was somehow even more devastating than the impressive score indicates. Minnesota leads the reigning champions 2-0.

• It’s the largest road playoff win in Timberwolves history.
• Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns both scored 27 points; Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Naz Reid had 14 apiece off the bench.
• Minnesota hammered Denver in the paint, 52-34, blocked a team playoff-record 12 shots and held Denver to a season-low in points.
• Oh, and they did it all without Rudy Gobert, the likely soon-to-be four-time Defensive Player of the Year, who missed the game for the birth of his first child.

The Timberwolves are outstanding on both ends. Let’s start with the defense, which has brought the Nuggets free-flowing offense to a halt. Nikola Jokic, generally regarded as the greatest player on the planet, looks stunningly ordinary, his majestic game minimized by the Timberwolves’ length, strength, versatility, activity and terrific game plan. Jamal Murray can’t get any separation against defensive savants Jaden McDaniels and Alexander-Walker.

Offensively, Towns’ tantalizing all-around game is coming to life, and the Nuggets have no answer for his combination of size, shooting and ability to put it on the deck…