Forty-two fouls. Minnesota got called for forty-two fouls in a single playoff game, and somehow the narrative is still about whether Anthony Edwards is clutch enough. Both things can be true.
Denver Turned the Lights Off in the Third
The Wolves actually played well for a half. Up 33-23 after one, tied 62-62 at the break — this wasn’t a beatdown, it was a competitive playoff game trending the right direction. Then Denver went on a 17-2 run in the third quarter and that was basically that.
Nikola Jokić had six points at halftime. Six. He finished with 25 points, 13 rebounds, and 11 assists — the triple-double arriving like a slow-building tax bill you knew was coming but still hurts when it lands. That’s the Jokić thing nobody has figured out in six years of trying: he doesn’t always look dangerous until the game is already gone. By the time Minnesota cut it back to 97-95 in the fourth, Denver just turned the dial up again and cruised to 116-105.
Jamal Murray dropped 30. Shot 16-of-16 from the free throw line, which is either peak postseason efficiency or the most aggravating stat in basketball depending on which sideline you’re sitting near. Murray’s post-game take on the foul calls: “I thought I got fouled on every single one of ’em. So I don’t know what everybody’s talking about. Real fouls.” Respect the commitment to the bit, honestly.
The Ant Question Nobody Wants to Ask Out Loud
Edwards finished with 22 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists. On a sore right knee. Was listed questionable and got upgraded day-of. That’s not nothing.
But 7-of-19 from the field is also not nothing, and not in the good way.
Here’s the uncomfortable part of following this team right now: Ant is genuinely one of the most exciting players in the NBA. The gravity he creates, the moments he conjures out of nowhere, the way he walked up to Murray after the buzzer and got in his face — that’s the guy you want. That energy is real. The question isn’t whether Edwards has the heart for this. The question is whether he has the answers, specifically against the best player on the planet running a system that has beaten everyone who’s tried to solve it.
Jokić isn’t just a great player — he’s a conceptual problem. The Wolves sent Jaden McDaniels at him, who picked up an unsportsmanlike technical for shoving the guy. Denver shot 30-of-33 from the free throw line as a team. Forty-two fouls. When you’re fouling that much and the other team is hitting 90.9% of their attempts, the math doesn’t care how hard you’re competing.
The honest thing to say is that Edwards has to be different in Game 2 — not just more aggressive, but more efficient; not just attacking, but actually solving something. He can’t shoot 7-of-19 and expect the Wolves to survive a full series against this team, knee or no knee. The Nuggets know exactly what they have and Denver coach Michael Malone said the quiet part: “Winning a grimy game, it’s good. Both teams are experienced and used to winning these games.”
🏆 PLAYOFF BRACKET 🏆
The @cavs, @nuggets, @nyknicks and @Lakers all defend home court!
The NBA Playoffs presented by @Google continue Sunday with 4 more Game 1s on ABC, NBC and Peacock. pic.twitter.com/MLwEIBc1RM
— NBA (@NBA) April 19, 2026
The series isn’t over. Minnesota was right there in the fourth quarter before Denver pulled away — this wasn’t a sweep preview, it was a one-possession game in the fourth with a trip to the free throw line about to happen. But Ant confronting Murray after the buzzer is only cool if it means something in Game 2. Otherwise it’s just good content.
The knee is real. The stage is real. The gap between those two things is what Game 2 is for.
