Timberwolves surge past Nuggets when simple substitution becomes dramatic turning point

The Timberwolves were lifeless and trailing the Nuggets in the fourth quarter when Nuggets guard Christian Braun dove over Rudy Gobert and taunted him. Gobert grabbed Braun and tossed him aside, and the teams got in each other’s faces as Gobert and Braun earned double technical points.

Amid the unrest, Wolves coach Chris Finch made a substitution, sending on Nickeil Alexander-Walker with 5 minutes and 14 seconds to play. The Wolves fell behind by 10, but then Alexander-Walker changed the energy in the arena and lifted the Wolves to a 119-116 win over the Nuggets in the 21st meeting between the familiar foes in the past three seasons.

“Nothing went right. He brought defense. He brought hardness. He plays hard every time he checks into the game,” said guard Anthony Edwards, who had 29 points. “…But he always does that, man. Come out, bring a lot of energy. That’s exactly what he does. He just happened to make shots and big shots. We needed it. “

After the game, Edwards walked down the hallway with cameras pointed at him and shouted Alexander-Walker’s name, with a few expletives between syllables, to let everyone know who he thought was the evening’s MVP. Through the first five games of the season, Alexander-Walker has been one of the most consistent players for the Wolves. Entering the season, it was unclear whether the addition of Donte DiVincenzo would take away Alexander-Walker’s minutes as a backup point guard. Instead, it has given Alexander-Walker the freedom to thrive at what he does best: hitting open shots, guarding hard while spending some time at point guard, but not as much as originally expected coming into the season.

“Today was one of the first days in a while that I didn’t have any nerves going into the race,” Alexander-Walker said. “I was a little worried about it because I don’t want to come out just calm and lethargic. I can really feel the confidence in my work and the trust I have and my faith in God. For me, I didn’t have to worry about the outcome anymore.”

Since he and coach Chris Finch talked about it in preseason, Alexander-Walker has done well. It got to the point where Finch was setting up plays for Alexander-Walker in the fourth quarter. The two met in New Orleans When Alexander-Walker was drafted, the Pelicans and Finch were an assistant. Alexander-Walker’s smile beamed when he was asked about it after the match.

“Me and Finchy have come a long way. I’ll take whatever I can get. It was definitely a moment for me, you know? Like passing the torch or something,” he said. “Like we’ve transcended to another level of our relationship.”

Alexander-Walker had eight points and forced two turnovers to lead a 17-4 Wolves run that won the game. He hit a pair of three-pointers and a pair of free throws and had a pair of steals against Nikola Jokic, who produced 26 points, 13 assists and nine rebounds and put Denver in position to win even after Jamal Murray left the game. the concussion protocol.