Edwards’ 43 points lift Wolves in series opener

Anthony Edwards scored a playoff career-high 43 points and Naz Reid had 14 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter as the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets 106-99 on Saturday night in Game 1 of their second-round series.

Edwards was unstoppable in the first half, scoring 25 points, and Reid took over in the fourth quarter. Karl-Anthony Towns had 20 points despite dealing with foul trouble.

Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinal is Monday night in Denver.

Three days after undergoing knee surgery, Timberwolves coach Chris Finch was on the bench in the second row, next to the scorer’s table and behind assistant coach Micah Nori, who did the instructing, roaming and switching.

Finch used crutches to attend his pre-game news conference, where he said he and his knee felt “pretty good, all things considered.”

Finch had his ruptured right patellar tendon repaired Wednesday after a sideline collision with Mike Conley late in the Game 4 win at Phoenix that gave the Timberwolves a first-round series sweep of the Suns.

Two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic had 32 points, eight rebounds and nine assists for Denver, but also had seven turnovers. Jamal Murray scored 17 points after being held scoreless in the first half.

Tied at 84, the Timberwolves went on an 18-7 run to break it open. Reid had 10 straight points for the Timberwolves at one point during the pivotal stretch.

Last year, the Wolves were a tough first-round opponent for Denver despite being without Reid (broken wrist) and Jaden McDaniels (broken hand) and with Towns coming off a severe calf strain that had cost him 52 games.

This time, not a single Timberwolves player was listed on the injury report.

Aside from being healthier, the Timberwolves were much better thanks to the dramatic improvement in Edwards’ game.

“There’s no weaknesses in his game,” Denver coach Michael Malone said. “And it’s going to be a hell of a challenge trying to slow him down.”