MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — When the Minnesota Timberwolves acquired Ayo Dosunmu from Chicago in February, they expected to get a strong defender and savvy offensive player. If he wants to be an elite scorer, they’ll take that, too.
Dosunmu scored a career-high 43 points, stepping up after leg injuries to Anthony Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo with the highest-scoring playoff performance by a reserve in 50 years, and the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Denver Nuggets 112-96 on Saturday night to take a 3-1 series lead.
“Ayo was just out of this world, man,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said. “Just play after play after play.”
Dosunmu made 13 of 17 shots, going 5 of 5 from 3-point range, and all 12 of his free throws in a season-high 42 minutes.
“He goes places quick. He’s an unbelievable finisher. He makes big shots,” Finch said. “He’s not afraid. Just was going to ride him until he collapsed, really.”
It was the best performance by a sub since Fred Brown scored 45 off the bench for Seattle in a 116-111 loss to Phoenix on April 15, 1976.
“I know it sounds cliche, but I can’t and won’t take this moment for granted,” Dosunmu said, “because I understand how long and how hard it is to get here.”
The game ended with the ejections of Denver’s Nikola Jokic and Minnesota’s Julius Randle after Jokic became angry when Jaden McDaniels made a meaningless layup with 2.1 seconds remaining and confronted the Wolves’ swingman near his bench.
Jamal Murray led Denver with 30 points. Jokic added 24 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists. The Nuggets were just 6 for 27 from 3-point range.
The Wolves have won the last three games and can end the series in Game 5 on Monday night in Denver.
“I expect us to have a great effort in Game 5,” Nuggets coach David Adelman said. “I really trust our two best players will find a rhythm, and they have to find that at home.”
Jokic and Murray were 6 of 24 from the field in the second half.
“We had the opportunity to score easier, get open looks, and we didn’t,” Jokic said. “And in the fourth quarter the momentum is on their side. They were making shots, they were playing with some energy and we didn’t have that.”
The Nuggets led by seven in the third quarter before the Timberwolves used a disruptive defense to get back into the game. Bones Hyland and Dosunmu scored breakaway layups on consecutive possessions after Minnesota forced the Nuggets to turn it over near halfcourt — two of nine second-half turnovers for the Nuggets.
Randle added a steal and fast-break dunk to put the Wolves up by four after three quarters.
Dosunmu had another steal and layup as part of a 9-0 run early in the fourth quarter that gave Minnesota a 95-82 lead. The basket that pushed the lead into double digits was a 3-pointer by 38-year-old Mike Conley, who played 20 minutes while filling in for DiVincenzo and Edwards.
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