MMinnesota Timberwolves guard Mike Conley (10) and guard Anthony Edwards (5). Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

Timberwolves set a 68-year high with dominant Game 6 win

By Sai Mohan | Last updated 5/17/24

LeBron James, the player with the most NBA playoff wins in history, once said that "the close out game is always the hardest game of a series."

James' words proved prophetic Thursday as the Timberwolves, with their season on the line, responded emphatically with a 115-70 Game 6 win to force a Game 7 against the Nuggets.

The 45-point margin of win meant Minnesota set a 68-year high for teams facing elimination in playoffs history, according to StatMuse. They came 13 points shy of beating the record set by the Twin Cities' original franchise, the Minneapolis Lakers, who put away the St. Louis Hawks by 58 points in March 1956.

Final score:

115 — Wolves
70 — Nuggets

The biggest win in an elimination game since the Minneapolis Lakers. pic.twitter.com/pdEaQ4D7w6
— StatMuse (@statmuse) May 17, 2024

In what can be considered a bad omen for the Timberwolves, those Minneapolis Lakers lost the series against the Hawks on the road in the series-clincher. The Anthony Edwards-led squad will get a chance to rewrite history when it travels to Denver for Sunday's Game 7.

Speaking of Edwards, the Timberwolves star is upbeat about playing his first-ever Game 7.

"I feel like as a competitor, it's like one of the best feelings in the world," Edwards told reporters after Thursday's win. "I've never played a Game 7 on the road. But all my playoff experiences on the road have been, like, super fun because nobody's on your side. So I can just imagine how this game will be. I'm super pumped for it. I'm ready to play."

The defending champion Nuggets enter Sunday's Game 7 as -4.5 favorites to hold fort and advance to the next round. The Timberwolves are seeking their first Western Conference Finals berth since 2004.

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