From celebration to cataclysmic ouster. You could almost feel the afterparty warming up. The Nuggets came out of the halftime locker room up 15 and promptly pushed their lead to 20. You could see Luka Doncic and Dallas preparing to fly northwest for Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.
Then it all came crashing down. The defending champs looked like they’d finally vanquished this pesky, young Timberwolves team. Instead of a knockout blow, though, Michael Malone’s team got jumped. Minnesota outscored Denver 32-9 over a 12-minute span and in the process turned a 20-point hole into a lead.