By Miguel Mike Medina
Photo Credit: Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images
In Game 4 between the Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves, we witnessed the importance of a strong bench. Ayo Dosunmu played the best game of his life, leading the Timberwolves with 43 points in a 112-96 victory over Denver.
The 26-year-old has been a key acquisition for Minnesota. Dosunmu was acquired in a trade from the Chicago Bulls in February. He’s always been a solid role player, and now his game has taken off with Minnesota. The team took some tough blows with injuries to Anthony Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo.
Edwards injured his left knee in the first half. DiVincenzo suffered a lower leg injury in the first quarter. Unfortunately, there’s a strong possibility that DiVincenzo might have torn his Achilles tendon as he was taken in a wheelchair. That’s tough for Minnesota to hear, despite the victory. Given these injuries, someone on the Timberwolves team needed to step up. Dosunmu became the guy to rely on.
Aside from 43 points, Dosunmu went perfect from downtown (5-for-5) and added four rebounds and two blocks on 13 of 17 from the field. Dosunmu attacked the basketball, hit midrange shots, and played good defense. He did it all in this game. We saw a player who was focused and played with so much passion. This game can give him more confidence for the rest of the postseason, especially after the latest injuries Minnesota has suffered.
Dosunmu got drafted in the second round by the Bulls in the 2021 NBA Draft. He earned all rookie second-team honors. He spent three seasons playing in the Illinois program, where he was a consensus first-team All-American and won the Big Ten tournament’s Most Outstanding Player in 2021.
Denver is down 3-1 and will head back home for Game 5 on Monday night. These two teams are the best new rivalry in the NBA. It’s their third postseason matchup. Nuggets, who are the 2023 NBA champions, will need to find an answer and slow down the Timberwolves’ offense.
Miguel Mike Medina is the publisher of The MMM Journal. He can be reached at medinamiguelmike@gmail.com and themmmjournal@gmail.com
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