Edwards’ Buzzer-Time Runner Headlines Busy Night Around the NBA
edwards-lifts-timberwolves-nuggets-depth-beats-bucks-magic-past-pelicans
MINNEAPOLIS — Anthony Edwards banked in a three-foot floater with 16.8 seconds remaining, completing the Timberwolves’ rally from 19 points down to beat the Spurs, 104-103, on Sunday night.
Timberwolves 104, Spurs 103
Minnesota (26-14) is 16-6 since Thanksgiving. Edwards finished with 23 points, and Julius Randle added 15 points and eight rebounds before contesting Victor Wembanyama’s missed 16-footer with 6.6 seconds left. Wembanyama, back in San Antonio’s starting lineup, scored 29 points in 27 minutes but struggled against Randle’s physical defense.
Donte DiVincenzo fueled the comeback with 19 points, while Naz Reid supplied 17 points and 11 rebounds. Head coach Chris Finch missed the game because of illness; assistant Micah Nori guided the Wolves after they opened the night trailing 16-0 and went scoreless for the first 4:39.
Nuggets 108, Bucks 104
In Denver, the short-handed Nuggets leaned on depth to outlast Milwaukee. Tim Hardaway Jr. led the way with 25 points, and Aaron Gordon added 23. Denver was without five of its top eight scorers, a group that averages 84.6 points per game.
Peyton Watson contributed 19 points, eight rebounds and six assists—raising his seven-game averages to 23.7 points and 6.9 rebounds—while Zeke Nnaji recorded his first double-double of the season with 14 points and 11 boards. Nikola Jokić (left knee bone bruise) and Jamal Murray (sprained left ankle) remained sidelined.
Magic 128, Pelicans 118
In Orlando, Paolo Banchero produced 23 points, eight rebounds and eight assists as the Magic closed out the Pelicans. The game marked center Moritz Wagner’s return after more than a year away with a torn left ACL; he scored eight points in 10 minutes.
Rookie Anthony Black scored a team-high 26 points, dished seven assists and collected three steals. Goga Bitadze, starting for the first time this season in place of Wendell Carter Jr. (back strain), added 14 points, 13 rebounds and three steals.
Orlando has answered each of its past seven defeats with a victory since falling to the Knicks in the NBA Cup semifinals on Dec. 13. The club now heads to Berlin and London for a two-game set with the Grizzlies.
Source: Hoops Wire
