The 30 seconds that won Game 4 for the Denver Nuggets

Jeremy Vernon

•
The 30 seconds that won Game 4 for the Denver Nuggets image

Playoff basketball games are rarely decided in the first half, but the way the final moments of Game 4 of the Western Conference Semifinals between the Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves played out Sunday night drastically shifted momentum toward the defending champs, who went on to win the game 115-107 to even the series at 2-2.

Leading by as many as 16 points in the second quarter, the Nuggets allowed Minnesota to fight back and cut the advantage to seven points —56-49 — with 48.1 seconds remaining in the first half on a 3-pointer by Anthony Edwards. Denver didn't go for the 2-for-1 at the end of the period, instead settling for a Kentavious Caldwell-Pope three to put his team back up by double digits.

It looked like the Timberwolves would get the final possession of the first half, but a turnover by Edwards was picked up by Jokic and passed ahead to Michael Porter Jr. for the wide open transition dunk with 1.1 seconds left. Jamal Murray then stole the ensuing inbounds pass and launched a 55-footer while tight-roping the sidelines. 

Murray nailed the long-distance buzzer-beater to put his team up 64-49 heading into the locker room at halftime. After he hit the shot, Murray created arguably the most viral moment of the game when he stared down TNT play-by-play announcer Kevin Harlan, much to the delight of color commentators Reggie Miller and Jamal Crawford.

The shot zapped the Minnesota home crowd of any energy it felt in the closing moments of the quarter. The Nuggets carried the momentum over to the second half, where Murray (12), Jokic (16) and Aaron Gordon (13) all scored at least 10 points.

Denver finished the first half shooting 64.3% from the field, their fifth-highest shooting percentage in the first half of a playoff game in franchise history. The Nuggets followed that up by hitting their first five shots of the second half.

Head coach Michael Malone's team finished Sunday night shooting 57.0% from the field and 44.8% from 3-point range. The Nuggets have shot over 50% from the field in each of their last two games after shooting a combined 64-for-158 (40.5%) in Games 1 and 2.

The Nuggets now head back to Denver for two of the series' final three games. If they can complete the comeback, they will be just the sixth team in NBA history to win a seven-game playoff series after losing Games 1 and 2 at home.

The last team to accomplish that feat was the Los Angeles Clippers in 2021. That year, the Clippers lost Games 1 and 2 of their first-round series against the Dallas Mavericks before rallying to win the series in seven games.

Game 5 of Denver-Minnesota is scheduled for Tuesday night at 10:30 p.m. EST. The game will be broadcast nationally on TNT.

Jeremy Vernon

Jeremy Vernon Photo

Jeremy Vernon is a reporter and editor from Greensboro, North Carolina, with a decade of experience in the industry. His previous stops include MLB.com and two local papers in N.C. — the Monroe Enquirer-Journal and the Chatham News + Record. When he isn’t working, you can likely find Jeremy at the dog park with his two-year old lab mix, Summer.