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'They are on a mission!' - Fans react as Denver Nuggets beat Minnesota Timberwolves and take 3-2 lead in the semi-final

Basketball: On Tuesday night defending NBA champions Denver Nuggets defeated Minnesota Timberwolves by 112-97 as they grab 3-2 lead in semi-final.

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Varun Sarwate
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Denver Nuggets (Source: The Denver Post)

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On Tuesday night defending NBA champions Denver Nuggets defeated Minnesota Timberwolves by 112-97 as NBA MVP award winner Nikola Jokic scored 40 points to grab a 3-2 lead in the semi-final. He also made 13 assists and seven rebounds while his teammate Jamal Murray scored 16 points and Aaron Gordon scored 18 points and 10 boards.

For Minnesota Timberwolves Karl Anthony-Towns scored 23 points, Anthony Edwards scored 18 points and Rudy Gobert got 18 points. The Wolves need to end their current three-game losing run at Target Centre on Thursday night to force a return trip to Denver for Game 7.

In the pre-game ceremony, Nikola Jokic got the MVP trophy from the hands of Commissioner Adam Silver and got 19 points in the first half as they were leading by 50-44 by the time of the first half. In the third quarter he scored 16 points and had Denver Nuggets lead by 14 points.

With only 7:12 minutes left in the last quarter, Nikola Jokic's dunk grabbed them the lead by 98-80 lead. Meanwhile, the Minnesota Timberwolves went on a mini-run as they cut the gap down by 103-92 Nikola Jokic's scoring three-pointer took the Denver Nuggets lead by 14 points with just 3 minutes left.

Mike Conley was not available for the game

Jokic assisted on four straight baskets during Denver's 11-2 comeback, which gave them a 64-57 advantage that would hold for the remainder of the game, after the Wolves had taken a small lead early in the third quarter, 55-53.

Meanwhile, for the Minnesota Timberwolves, Mike Conley was not available for the game as he had sore his right Achilles just a few hours before the game. This injury happened to him in the last game on Sunday as he went on to miss a three-pointer which resulted in his team's loss. Nickeil Alexander-Walker came in his position and scored 14 points and five assists. 

Game 6 in the series will be held in Minneapolis on Thursday as it is a must-win game for both teams.

Check out fans reaction to the news:

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