The Minnesota Timberwolves defeated the Denver Nuggets 110-98 on Thursday to win their first-round playoff series 4-2, advancing to the Western Conference semifinals against the San Antonio Spurs. The game was played at Target Center in Minneapolis.

Three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic led Denver with 28 points, but the Timberwolves, playing without injured star Anthony Edwards, proved too strong. Jaden McDaniels scored a career-high 32 points, including clutch shots in the final minutes, to seal the victory.

“It’s a great night. It’s a great victory for us. Hopefully … we’ve got 12 more to go,” said Minnesota coach Chris Finch. “We came into these playoffs not trying to beat Denver, but trying to win a championship.” A visibly disappointed Jokic added, “I needed to play better. I must play better.”

In New York, the Knicks routed the Atlanta Hawks 140-89, the largest victory and most points scored in a playoff game in franchise history. The Knicks led by as many as 61 points, and their 47-point halftime lead (83-36) was the largest in NBA postseason history.

OG Anunoby scored 29 points, and Karl-Anthony Towns recorded a triple-double (12 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists). “We can’t just meet the moment, we’ve got to exceed it, and I thought we did a great job of doing that tonight,” Towns said. The Knicks advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals for the fourth straight year.

The Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Boston Celtics 106-93 to tie their series 3-3, forcing a decisive Game 7. Tyrese Maxey led with 30 points, Paul George added 23, and Joel Embiid contributed 19 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists. This is the 23rd playoff series between the historic rivals, an NBA record.

Source: www.aljazeera.com