The Nuggets appeared to be cruising to a 2-0 series lead Monday night as they opened a 44-25 lead over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

But the Timberwolves rallied to take the lead in the second quarter. And they rallied again in the fourth against a Nuggets team that looked outmatched and out of gas down the stretch to stun the Denver home crowd in a 119-114 win.

The series is now tied at 1-1 and headed to Minnesota for Game 3. And now, it’s anybody’s game. Here’s how the Timberwolves got the job done — and how the Nuggets didn’t — in Game 2.

Rudy Gobert makes Nikola Jokić look human

Rudy Gobert flustered Nikola Jokić early in Game 1 before the Nuggets pulled away behind Jamal Murray’s 30 points.

On Tuesday, Gobert made life hard on Jokić virtually whenever he was on the floor. In the end, he helped limit Jokić to two fourth-quarter points as the Timberwolves rallied to stun the Nuggets.

Early on, Jokić let the game come to him. He didn’t attempt a field goal as Denver opened up a 28-13 first-quarter lead in the game’s first nine minutes. Jokić settled into his role as a playmaker and thrived while racking up five assists before taking his first shot from the field.

But after the Timberwolves punched back to take the lead in the second quarter, waiting was no longer an option. And outside of his 16-point third quarter, Jokić was largely a non-factor as a scorer, especially when matched up with Gobert.

Jokić scored just six points in the first half. And as Minnesota outscored Denver 29-21 in the fourth quarter, Jokić shot 1 of 7 in the final frame as Gobert repeatedly challenged him at the rim.

The two-man game with Jamal Murray that paced Denver’s Game 1 win was no longer effective as Minnesota took control. Jokić finished with 24 points, 15 rebounds and 8 assists. But he faltered down the stretched, turned the ball over three times and shot just 8 of 20 from the field and 1 of 7 from 3.

Gobert’s box score (2 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals, 0 blocks, 5 fouls) left a lot to be desired. But his impact on the game was evident to anyone who was watching Monday night.

Anthony Edwards is grinding — and producing — through pain

Anthony Edwards clearly still isn’t himself due to a lingering knee injury that sidelined him for 11 of Minnesota’s last 14 regular-season games. He’s been a game-day call for both playoff games and appeared to tweak his knee early Monday. He grabbed it in clear pain in the first first quarter.

But he’s pushing through and finished Monday with a team-high 30 points and 10 rebounds alongside 2 assists, 2 blocks and 1 steal. He wasn’t particularly efficient while shooting 10 of 25 from the field and 3 of 11 from 3.

But he was tenacious and aggressive and kept constant pressure on Denver’s defense despite clearly not being 100%.

Edwards now has two days off to rest his ailing knee before Game 3 Thursday night. How he continues to play through pain could very well tilt the balance of the series.

Denver’s depth is still an issue

The Nuggets prioritized building depth in the offseason after they ran out of gas in a seven-game series against the Thunder last postseason. But through two playoff games, a tight rotation has them looking gassed again after two games.

It was the Nuggets who looked like the road team playing in elevation Monday as Denver effectively ran a seven-man rotation. Spencer Jones (10 minutes, 0 points, 0 shots, 2 rebounds) and Jonas Valanciunas (3 minutes, 0 points, 0 shots, 2 rebounds) both played, but were non-factors. Tim Hardaway Jr. and Bruce Brown were Denver’s only effective players off the bench.

This meant 40 minutes for Jokić after 40 minutes in Game 1. It meant 43 minutes for Murray after 39 in Game 1. And both were gassed in the fourth quarter as they combined for four points while shooting 2 of 12 from the field.

Free-throw discrepancy eliminated

Minnesota coach Chris Finch was not pleased with Jamal Murray’s 16 free throws in Denver’s Game 1 win as the Nuggets secured a 33-19 advantage in attempts en route to victory. He continued to work the officials in his pregame news conference Monday.

"Maybe we ought to start flopping, too,” Finch told reporters pregame.

The Timberwolves repeatedly fouled early while helping the Nuggets build their early 19-point advantage. Denver scored 12 points on three consecutive and-1 3s in the first quarter to build that lead, prompting Edwards to take up Finch’s case with the refs.

But there was no lopsided free-throw advantage when the final horn blew. Officials swallowed their whistles when fouls should have probably been called on both teams, particularly in the third quarter. By the fourth, the refs were largely letting both sides play with minimal interference.

In the end, each team attempted 30 free throws. Minnesota’s struggles at the line (19 of 30) were the only only free-throw issues Finch could rightfully complain about in Game 2.

Denver’s lack of rim protection is a problem

The Nuggets are in desperate need of an adjustment for their poor rim protection.

Denver finished 22nd in the NBA in the regular season in defensive rating, and the Timberwolves exploited that weakness while turning their early deficit into a comeback win. They did so by repeatedly attacking the rim.

They did it with ball movement:

They did it with size:

They did it with Edwards’ athleticism:

And the Nuggets are in trouble in this series — and beyond if they advance — if head coach David Adelman can’t cook up an adjustment.

Game 3 is scheduled for Thursday night in Minneapolis (9:30 p.m. ET, Prime).

Victor Wembanyama was a virtual lock to win Defensive Player of the Year in 2024-25 before a blood clot cut his season short at 46 games.

There were no shortcomings this season. The NBA announced on Monday that Wembanyama won the 2025-26 Defensive Player of the Year award, the first of his three-year NBA career.

He was the first unanimous winner of the award in NBA history, receiving all 100 first-place votes.Wembanyama beat out fellow finalists Chet Holmgren and Ausar Thompson to secure the hardware.

The win marks Wembanyama’s second top-two finish in voting for DPOY. He finished second to Rudy Gobert during his 2023-24 Rookie of the Year campaign.

“I’m super proud to be the first ever unanimous [winner],” Wembanyama told NBC Sports after winning the award. … “My shot-blocking is something I’ve been working on forever. It’s probably the area of my game where I feel most comfortable at.”

Holmgren finished second in voting ahead of Thompson.

How many DPOYs will Wemby win?

If projections hold true, the DPOY award will be the first of many for the transcendent San Antonio Spurs center, who has no equal as a defender in basketball. Thanks in part to his defensive prowess, Wembanyama is also an MVP finalist alongside Nikola Jokić and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Wembanyma’s game is unprecedented on multiple fronts. At 7-foot-4 with handles, a face-up game and a 3-point shot in addition to post moves, Wembanyama is next to impossible to guard. But it’s arguably his defense that sets him apart above all else.

Opposing players with the ball have to account for Wembanyama and his 8-foot wingspan, whether attacking the rim, pulling up from the mid-range or even on the perimeter.

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect / REUTERS

Nobody’s close to Wemby in blocked shots

Wembanyama led the league in blocks per game (3.1) for the third time in his three NBA seasons. He altered countless others as the league’s premier rim protector. He averaged over a block per game more than the league’s second-place finisher, fellow DPOY finalist Holmgren (1.9 blocks per game).

Wembanyama’s blocks alone placed him as the league leader in stocks (blocks + steals) per game, a combined metric frequently cited to measure a player’s defensive impact. But he added one steal per game to his tally as a defender who can impact the game in multiple ways.

Wemby’s defense = Spurs wins

Wembanyama’s defense translated to success for the Spurs. As a team, the Spurs ranked third in the league in defensive rating, largely due to Wembanyama’s impact. And the Spurs are back in the playoffs for the first time since 2019 as a championship contender.

Wembanyama won DPOY while anchoring a Spurs team that secured the NBA’s second-best record (62-20) and the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference playoffs. He made his playoff debut on Sunday, leading a 111-98 Spurs win over the Portland Trail Blazers.

Wemby sneaks in with 65 games

Wembanyama’s game tally almost cost him DPOY for a second straight season. But he just reached the 65-game minimum threshold required by the NBA to be eligible for postseason awards.

That’s a tally that includes San Antonio’s loss to the New York Knicks in the NBA Cup final that doesn’t count in the standings but does count toward the 65-game minimum.

Several awards and All-NBA contenders, including Jokić, Luka Dončić, Cade Cunningham and Anthony Edwards, either flirted with or fell short of the 65-game minimum, raising debate about whether the standard is fair. In the end, Wembanyama didn’t have to worry about it after reaching the threshold in San Antonio’s penultimate game of the regular season.

The New York Mets’ losing streak was on the ropes on Sunday.

But a blown save by Devin Williams spoiled a ninth-inning shutout, and the Chicago Cubs prevailed, 2-1 in extra innings to extend New York’s misery and its losing streak to 11 games. Former Met Michael Conforto delivered the blow that sent the game to a 10th frame.

With the loss, a Mets team that invested in the league’s second-most expensive roster behind only the Los Angeles Dodgers drops to an MLB-worst 7-15.

Mets were on the verge of winning

In a bullpen game, five Mets pitchers combined to shut the Cubs out for eight innings. Mets left fielder MJ Melendez, meanwhile, plated the only run of the game up to that point with a fifth-inning solo home run.

The Mets went to the bottom of the ninth at Wrigley Field with a 1-0 lead and a chance to snap a 10-game losing streak. Williams, who signed from the crosstown Yankees in the offseason to replace now-Dodgers closer Edwin Díaz, took the mound with a save at stake.

Ian Happ led off the inning with single to right field and was replaced on first base by pinch runner Scott Kingery. With one out and Kingery still on first, up came Confroto, who played his first seven MLB seasons with the Mets.

Conforto delivers on Williams meatball

Williams threw a first-pitch fastball over the heart of the plate, and Conforto delivered a line drive that bounced to the right-field corner. Kingery ran home, and Conforto reached second with a stand-up double.

That ultimately sent the game to the 10th inning tied at 1-1. In the bottom of the frame, the Mets sent another high-profile offseason acquisition to the mound in nine-time All-Star reliever Craig Kimbrel.

Pete Crow-Armstrong stood on second base as Chicago’s extra-innings ghost runner and advanced to third on a no-out wild pitch by Kimbrel. With one out, all the Cubs needed from second baseman Nico Hoerner was a fly ball to the outfield.

Hoerner delivered just that to right field, and Crow-Armstrong beat the throw home to secure a walk-off win.

The loss with one run was painfully familiar to Mets fans who have so far watched the league’s second-highest payroll produce the second-fewest runs in MLB as of Sunday.

Williams’ struggles were also familiar to Yankees fans. Williams joined the Yankees last season after six seasons as one of MLB’s best closers with the Milwaukee Brewers, only to lose his job as closer early in the season.

He regained the job and ultimately posted a career-worst 4.79 ERA, and the Yankees ultimately let him walk as a free agent. With the Mets, Williams now has a 7.11 ERA in seven appearances.

The loss completes a three-game sweep at the hands of the Cubs. The Mets have upcoming three-game home stands against the Minnesota Twins and Colorado Rockies. They’ll need at least one win in those six games to avoid tying a franchise worst 17-game losing streak set in 1962.