Minnesota Timberwolves Take 3-1 Lead Over Denver Nuggets Despite Injuries and Fights

Apr 26, 2026, 21:06

Introduction

The Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Denver Nuggets 112-96 on Saturday night in Minneapolis, taking a 3-1 lead in their Western Conference first-round series. The game was marked by serious injuries to Minnesota's starting players and a physical fight late in the game that led to player ejections.

Main Body

The game was heavily affected by the loss of two key Minnesota starters. Donte DiVincenzo suffered a torn Achilles tendon early in the first quarter, which has ended his season. Later, Anthony Edwards left the game in the second quarter with a knee injury and will likely be out for several weeks. Despite these losses, reserve guard Ayo Dosunmu scored a career-high 43 points, helping the Timberwolves outscore Denver 62-42 in the second half. Meanwhile, the Denver Nuggets struggled with their offense in the second half. Although Jamal Murray scored 30 points and Nikola Jokic had 24 points and 15 rebounds, the team failed to make most of their three-point shots. Furthermore, Denver's performance was limited because Aaron Gordon was playing with a calf injury and Peyton Watson was absent due to a hamstring strain. With only 1.3 seconds left, a fight broke out after Jaden McDaniels scored a layup while Minnesota already had a large lead. Nikola Jokic confronted McDaniels, leading to a clash between several players. As a result, both Jokic and Julius Randle were ejected. The NBA is now investigating the incident to decide if fines or suspensions are necessary, especially regarding players who left the bench during the fight. Jokic and coach David Adelman claimed the layup was unsportsmanlike, whereas McDaniels and Rudy Gobert asserted that it was allowed since the game had not ended.

Conclusion

The Timberwolves now have a strong lead going into Game 5 in Denver on Monday night. However, the final result may depend on whether Nikola Jokic is allowed to play and how Minnesota manages without their top scorers, Edwards and DiVincenzo.

Vocabulary Learning

career-high (adj.)

the highest score or achievement in a player's career / a record-setting performance職業生涯最高

Example:She set a career-high of 43 points in the final game.

clash (n.)

a conflict or confrontation between two parties衝突

Example:A sudden clash on the court escalated the situation.

investigating (v.)

examining or looking into something to find out facts調查

Example:The league is investigating the incident thoroughly.

reserve (n.)

backup player / a player who is not in the starting lineup替補球員

Example:The reserve player stepped in when the starter was injured.

unsportsmanlike (adj.)

lacking sportsmanship, unfair or rude behavior in sports不體育精神

Example:The referee criticized his unsportsmanlike behavior.

Sentence Learning

Donte DiVincenzo suffered a torn Achilles tendon early in the first quarter, which has ended his season.

Relative Clause: The clause 'which has ended his season' provides additional information about the torn Achilles tendon, specifying its consequence.關係子句: 子句 'which has ended his season' 為前面的受傷提供了額外資訊，說明其結果。

The game was heavily affected by the loss of two key Minnesota starters.

Passive Voice: The sentence is in passive form, focusing on the effect (the game) rather than the doer, which is common in formal reporting.被動語態: 句子使用被動語態，重點放在受影響的事物（比賽）而非執行者，符合正式報導風格。

Despite these losses, reserve guard Ayo Dosunmu scored a career-high 43 points, helping the Timberwolves outscore Denver 62-42 in the second half.

Contrastive Conjunction (Despite): 'Despite' introduces a contrast between the losses and the high scoring performance, showing that the outcome happened despite the setbacks.對比連接詞 (Despite): 'Despite' 引入對比，說明儘管有損失，球隊仍取得高分。

Although Jamal Murray scored 30 points and Nikola Jokic had 24 points and 15 rebounds, the team failed to make most of their three-point shots.

Contrastive Conjunction (Although): 'Although' signals that even though the players scored well, the team still failed to make most three-point shots, highlighting a contrast.對比連接詞 (Although): 'Although' 表示儘管球員得分高，球隊仍未能命中大部分三分球，凸顯對比。

Jokic and coach David Adelman claimed the layup was unsportsmanlike, whereas McDaniels and Rudy Gobert asserted that it was allowed since the game had not ended.

Contrastive Conjunction (Whereas): 'Whereas' contrasts the opinions of Jokic/Adelman with those of McDaniels/Gobert, indicating differing viewpoints.對比連接詞 (Whereas): 'Whereas' 對比 Jokic/Adelman 與 McDaniels/Gobert 的觀點，顯示不同看法。