DENVER — Anthony Edwards jogged alone to retrieve a pass floated to him by teammate Mike Conley.
No other player was even past the half-court line when he corralled the ball, slammed it through the hoop and then flexed at the Nuggets fans staring at him in silence.
It was symbolic of the way Game 2 went between Minnesota and Denver – a beatdown for the visitors, who took a 2-0 series lead with Monday night's 106-80 victory.
The defending NBA-champion Nuggets are now in danger of getting blown out of the playoffs after losing the first two games of the second-round series on their home court, having to go on the road to Minnesota for the next two.
"They kicked our ass," head coach Michael Malone said to start his postgame press conference. "We got beat up in our building. We got embarrassed in front of our fans."
Edwards has shined for the Timberwolves through the first two games, pouring in 70 points over that span.
Turnovers and another slow start – something the Nuggets have struggled with every game this postseason – doomed them again Monday night. Denver turned the ball over 16 times, including 4 each from the star trio of two-time MVP Nikola Jokic, Round-1 hero Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr.
While Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns pierced Denver's defense with a game-high 27 points each, the Nuggets failed to get anything going offensively themselves.
Jokic, Murray and Porter Jr. were all held to single-digit scoring figures at halftime. Those numbers are even more daunting when you consider Minnesota's 7-foot-1 center Rudy Gobert missed the game to fly home for the birth of his son.
"We got punked," guard Reggie Jackson said. "They're literally just man-handling us...You can't play Nuggets basketball if you're getting punked."
The series next shifts to Minnesota, where the Timberwolves will host the Nuggets for Games 3 and 4.
Denver will look to avoid going down 3-0, a series deficit never overcome by any team in NBA history, when they return to the floor Friday night at Target Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. (MT).
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