Nikola Jokic scores 40 points, giving the Nuggets a 3-2 lead against the Wolves.

Before the game, Commissioner Adam Silver presented Nikola Jokic with the Michael Jordan award. On Tuesday night, he celebrated winning his third MVP trophy with an incredible postseason performance.

The Denver Nuggets shut down Anthony Edwards in a 112-97 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves, which moved the defending NBA champions one victory away from the Western Conference finals. Jokic scored 40 points and dishevelled out 13 assists.

In this semifinal series, the home team prevailed for the first time thanks to Jokic’s seven rebounds and zero turnovers. Michael Malone, the coach of the Nuggets, remarked, “He did everything for us tonight.” “And it was fun to watch.” Even Jokic’s opponents grinned at his dominance.

Even though Jokic isn’t known for it, he had another amazing dunk. Jokic said, “You know, I’m a freak of nature,” when asked if his collection of rim protectors made such movements necessary. How about I flaunt my athletic ability?”

Aaron Gordon contributed 18 points and 10 rebounds, and Jamal Murray scored 16 points. “If Jokic’s scoring like that, there’s no need to do anything special,” Murray commented. Edwards was pinned to 18 points on 5 of 15 shots, double and trapping him the whole game. Rudy Gobert had 18 points, while Karl-Anthony Towns led the Wolves with 23.

The Wolves need to end their current three-game losing run at Target Centre on Thursday night in order to force a return trip to Denver for Game 7. During a pregame ceremony, Jokic received his third MVP award. He led Denver to a 50-44 lead at the break with 19 points in the first half. When the Nuggets extended their lead to 14 points in the third quarter, he scored 16 more points. With little over three minutes remaining, Jokic made a 3-pointer at the shot clock buzzer over a defenceless Gobert, who just earned his fourth NBA Defensive Player of the Year title. This gave the Wolves a 14-point lead after they utilised a mini-run to edge ahead, 103-92.

After Edwards scored 33.3 points on average in the first four games of the series, the Wolves were searching for another player to take his place. Edwards had just five points at the half and had missed eight of his first nine attempts, even though KAT had done exactly that. He didn’t find his shooting range until the Timberwolves were losing the game.

Due to a strained right Achilles, Mike Conley, the veteran point guard for Minnesota, was sidelined shortly before the game. He sustained an injury when he failed to make a three-point shot on the Wolves’ last possession of the game on Sunday. Starting at his position, Nickeil Alexander-Walker finished with 14 points and five assists.

In his pre-game remarks, Wolves coach Chris Finch expressed disappointment that the NBA fined Rudy Gobert $75,000 for making a money gesture following a call by referee Scott Foster during Game 4. This was $25,000 less than Murray was penalised for his conduct in Game 2, when he also made the money sign and threw a towel and a heat pack at an official.

When Towns went to the bench for his third foul late in the first half, Gobert directed Kyle Anderson to guard Jokic. TNT commentator Reggie Miller was shocked by Gobert, saying, “You’re the Defensive Player of the Year!” “You protect the MVP!”