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College football Week 1 preview: Notre Dame, Ohio State highlight opening slate

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College football Week 1 preview: Notre Dame, Ohio State highlight opening slate

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After a lot of the offseason was devoured by conversations targeted on the identify, picture and likeness (NIL) guidelines, and as convention realignment continues to shake up the game, Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher put it greatest: 

“It is time to shut up and play. Simply go play.” 

Texas A and M Aggies head coach Jimbo Fisher addresses the media throughout the SEC Soccer Kickoff Media Days on the School Soccer Corridor of Fame in Atlanta on July 21, 2022.
(Jeffrey Vest/Icon Sportswire by way of Getty Pictures)

And whereas Fisher was referencing his offseason confrontation with Alabama head coach Nick Saban, the sentiment applies as Week 1 of the faculty soccer season is lastly upon us. 

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Let’s check out a couple of video games to pay attention to on Saturday as the faculty soccer season formally kicks off. 

No. 8 Michigan vs Colorado State – Midday ET, ABC

Whereas Jim Harbaugh’s job is not a scorching matter, whether or not the 2021 season in Ann Arbor was a fluke or an indication of a burgeoning dynasty remains to be up for debate. 

However earlier than anybody can start that dialog, Michigan should first determine who might be underneath heart throughout the 2022 season. 

Head coach Jim Harbaugh of the Michigan Wolverines speaks during the 2022 Big Ten Conference Football Media Days at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana, on July 26, 2022.

Head coach Jim Harbaugh of the Michigan Wolverines speaks throughout the 2022 Huge Ten Convention Soccer Media Days at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana, on July 26, 2022.
(Michael Hickey/Getty Pictures)

Redshirt junior Cade McNamara will get the begin in opposition to Colorado State a yr after main the Wolverines to their first Huge Ten championship since 2004. He handed for two,576 yards and 15 touchdowns and led a Michigan staff in a win over Ohio State for the primary time since 2011. 

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“I really feel prefer it’s my staff,” McNamara mentioned, in keeping with The Detroit Information. “Nothing in opposition to anybody, I simply suppose I’ve put myself able that, if I say one thing, I might be listened to. … It doesn’t matter what place you’re in, in case you develop into complacent, you develop into weak. I’ve zero complacency to what my state of affairs is and the place I’m on the depth chart. If something, I’m simply getting higher sooner than if I have been sitting within the quarterback room comfortably.”

Cade McNamara of the Michigan Wolverines walks to the sideline during the spring football game at Michigan Stadium  in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on April 2, 2022.

Cade McNamara of the Michigan Wolverines walks to the sideline throughout the spring soccer recreation at Michigan Stadium  in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on April 2, 2022.
(Jaime Crawford/Getty Pictures)

Sophomore J.J. McCarthy will get the beginning in Week 2 in opposition to Hawaii, which means that the offseason quarterback battle is much from over. 

“They’re really each taking part in their greatest soccer since they’ve been right here,” Harbaugh mentioned Monday. “Cade is arguably one of the vital improved gamers on the staff. … It’s not a demotion for Cade McNamara. It’s a promotion for J.J. based mostly on what he’s been capable of do, as nicely.”

The Rams enter the 2022 season coming off a 3-9 marketing campaign and with a brand new head coach in Jay Norvell, who brings the “air raid” offense with him to Fort Collins. 

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“Our management wants to know that if we need to be totally different, we have now to do issues in a different way and have a look at issues in a different way,” Norvell mentioned this week, in keeping with 247 Sports activities. “We’ve had an excellent camp that approach. … We’re going to be challenged because the season goes via. We’ll have our ups and our downs, and the way we deal with these goes to find out what sort of yr we have now.”

The Wolverines are 30.5-point favorites. 

No. 3 Georgia vs No. 11 Oregon – 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC

Whoa, Nelly. We’ve a beautiful matchup to kick off the afternoon slate of video games, with all eyes on Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

Georgia, contemporary off a nationwide championship, will face off in opposition to their former defensive coordinator in Dan Lanning, who takes over the head teaching job in Eugene, Oregon, after the departure of Mario Cristobal. 

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Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart addresses the media during the SEC Football Kickoff Media Days at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta on July 20, 2022.

Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Good addresses the media throughout the SEC Soccer Kickoff Media Days on the School Soccer Corridor of Fame in Atlanta on July 20, 2022.
(Jeffrey Vest/Icon Sportswire by way of Getty Pictures)

“There’s undoubtedly some emotions of pleasure for me to go play a staff that I care about and was a giant a part of for a very long time,” Lanning conceded.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREVIEW: WHO WILL WIN THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP IN 2022?

Auburn switch Bo Nix is predicted to get the beginning underneath heart for the Geese, dealing with a protection that had a complete of eight gamers drafted within the 2022 NFL Draft. 

“The talent we have now, the talent set that we current,” Nix mentioned at Oregon’s preseason media day, “if we simply go on the market and compete, we’re going to be actually good.”

“I needed to have an opportunity to play within the playoff,” he added, “and with my talent set I do know I may contribute. And with the fellows we have now right here, clearly we’re loaded.”

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Nix will work behind an offensive line that returns all 5 starters from the 2021 season. If Oregon finds a strategy to get the upset, it might be Nix’s first win in opposition to Georgia in 4 tries. 

Bo Nix of Team Yellow looks to pass the ball against Team Green during the third quarter of the Oregon Spring Game at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon, on April 23, 2022. 

Bo Nix of Group Yellow appears to be like to move the ball in opposition to Group Inexperienced throughout the third quarter of the Oregon Spring Recreation at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon, on April 23, 2022. 
(Abbie Parr/Getty Pictures)

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The Bulldogs have a confirmed commodity at quarterback with Stenson Bennett returning for his sixth and remaining faculty soccer season. Bennett enters the season because the unquestioned chief of the offense, one yr after beginning the season because the third-string QB.

“I believe he simply needed to know that we had his again and that he was going to be the man and to make it value coming again,” Georgia head coach Kirby Good mentioned. “He went via plenty of time right here the place he did not get reps, he did not get high quality reps.”

Georgia enters the sport as 17-point favorites. 

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No. 19 Arkansas vs No. 23 Cincinnati – 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN

Don’t sleep on the least talked about recreation of the afternoon schedule, as a top-25 matchup in Fayetteville, Arkansas, might be the sport of the day. 

It’s a matchup between two up-and-coming groups, with Arkansas going 9-4 in Sam Pittman’s third yr on the helm, and Cincinnati coming off the very best season in program historical past (13-0 within the common season) with a berth within the School Soccer Playoff. 

It’s one other alternative for the Bearcats to show that they belong within the dialog with the massive boys. 

Cincinnati coach Luke Fickell watches his team warm up before the Goodyear Cotton Bowl game between the Bearcats and the Alabama Crimson Tide in AT and T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Dec. 31, 2021.

Cincinnati coach Luke Fickell watches his staff heat up earlier than the Goodyear Cotton Bowl recreation between the Bearcats and the Alabama Crimson Tide in AT and T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Dec. 31, 2021.
(John Bunch/Icon Sportswire by way of Getty Picture)

“I do know it may be loud,” Cincinnati head coach Luke Fickell mentioned. “I do know it may be a hostile atmosphere. I do know it may be a type of ones that you really want your guys to have the ability to play in and luxuriate in, as a result of that is what faculty soccer’s all about.”

ARKANSAS’ SAM PITTMAN ON PREPARING FOR CINCINNATI: ‘SOME GUYS BRING ICED TEA AND SOME GUYS BRING LIQUOR’

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Fickell is tasked with the unenviable job of changing quarterback Desmond Ridder, and whereas he hasn’t proven his playing cards simply but, it should both be Ben Bryant or Evan Prater. 

“They’ve bought two separate quarterbacks that who is aware of who’s gonna play,” Pittman advised reporters on Monday. “Not optimistic who the operating backs gonna be but. And so they bought a brand new coordinator. So, you don’t know precisely what they’re going to do. However I believe we’ve bought sufficient protection in that we will assault no matter we see. 

Head coach Sam Pittman of the Arkansas Razorbacks reacts during the first half of a game against the LSU Tigers at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on Nov. 13, 2021.

Head coach Sam Pittman of the Arkansas Razorbacks reacts throughout the first half of a recreation in opposition to the LSU Tigers at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on Nov. 13, 2021.
(Jonathan Bachman/Getty Pictures)

Pittman doesn’t have the identical issues as Fickell, with KJ Jefferson heading into his second season because the starter. Jefferson threw for two,676 yards and 21 touchdowns in 2021 whereas dashing for 664 yards and 6 scores. 

“It is onerous to simulate a 6-foot-4, 245-pound man operating downhill as a quarterback,” Fickell mentioned. “You simply bought to be ready for it. You bought to have the ability to deal with nicely, you bought to have the ability to deal with bodily. You realize, and you have got to have the ability to do it on constant foundation.”

Cincinnati enters the sport a 6.5-point underdogs. 

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No. 1 Alabama vs Utah State – 7:30 p.m. ET, SEC Community

Previous to Utah State’s surprisingly shut win over UConn, the potential for a detailed recreation might have passed by the wayside. Alabama enters the sport as 45-point favorites, and with a head coach in Nick Saban, who is decided to not permit his gamers to sit up for Week 2. 

Alabama Crimson Tide Head Coach Nick Saban addresses the media during the SEC Football Kickoff Media Days at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta on July 19, 2022.

Alabama Crimson Tide Head Coach Nick Saban addresses the media throughout the SEC Soccer Kickoff Media Days on the School Soccer Corridor of Fame in Atlanta on July 19, 2022.
(Jeffrey Vest/Icon Sportswire by way of Getty Pictures)

“I believe the rat poison this yr, to not convey up a sore topic, it’s worse than ever,” Saban mentioned Thursday on the weekly radio present “Hey Coach.” “I’ve had extra individuals ask me about how we’re going to do in opposition to Texas this week than how we’re going to do in opposition to Utah State.”

It might be an extended day for the Aggies. 

Bryce Young of the Alabama Crimson Tide throws against the Georgia Bulldogs at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana, on Jan. 10, 2022.

Bryce Younger of the Alabama Crimson Tide throws in opposition to the Georgia Bulldogs at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana, on Jan. 10, 2022.
(Andy Lyons/Getty Pictures)

Alabama enters the season because the No. 1 staff within the nation and the heavy favorites to win Saban’s eighth nationwide title. Reigning Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Younger is again for his junior yr. He loses his prime two extensive receivers from final yr in Jameson Williams and John Metchie III, however Georgia switch Jermaine Burton enters the fold after catching 26 balls for 497 yards and 5 touchdowns final season. 

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Alabama has gained its final 20 residence openers and is 2-0 all-time in opposition to Utah State. 

No. 2 Ohio State vs No. 5 Notre Dame – 7:30 p.m. ET, ABC

The crown jewel of the weekend. 

First-year Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman returns to the Horseshoe — Freeman was a linebacker at Ohio State — to tackle what some contemplate to be the very best staff within the nation. 

“Any competitor, you need a possibility to go and play in opposition to the very best,” Freeman mentioned. “There is no higher strategy to see the place we’re at as a soccer staff.”

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A cheerleader celebrates by waving a Notre Dame Fighting Irish flag during the Notre Dame Blue-Gold Spring Football Game at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana, on April 23, 2022.

A cheerleader celebrates by waving a Notre Dame Combating Irish flag throughout the Notre Dame Blue-Gold Spring Soccer Recreation at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana, on April 23, 2022.
(Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire by way of Getty Pictures)

Freeman will enter the top-25 matchup with a first-year beginning quarterback in Tyler Buchner, a dual-threat quarterback who rushed for 336 yards and three touchdowns in his freshman season. 

“I prefer to have the concept that my confidence will keep the identical irrespective of the exterior elements,” Buchner mentioned. “I attempt to preserve it stage always, attempt not get too excessive or too low. However I would say, truthfully, since spring ball, via camp and to now, my confidence has simply gone up and up. I really feel like I am in a great spot.”

Ohio State may have Heisman favourite C.J. Stroud underneath heart with extensive receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba changing into his prime goal after dropping Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave to the NFL draft. Working again TreVeyon Henderson is a Heisman darkish horse after a stellar freshman season. 

Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud warms up before the Rose Bowl game between the Buckeyes and the Utah Utes on Jan. 1, 2022 in Pasadena, California. 

Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud warms up earlier than the Rose Bowl recreation between the Buckeyes and the Utah Utes on Jan. 1, 2022 in Pasadena, California. 
(Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire by way of Getty Pictures)

“I believe coming off of final yr, there are not any large heads,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day mentioned. “I imply, this staff is hungry. This staff has been hungry. It has been nice. We have got to win this primary recreation. They know that. We have got quite a bit to show.

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“The nation,” he mentioned, “might be watching.”

The Related Press contributed to this report.

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Nelly Korda maintains LPGA Tour domination with 6th win in 7th start

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Nelly Korda maintains LPGA Tour domination with 6th win in 7th start

Nelly Korda’s dominance on the LPGA Tour continued Sunday as she picked up a one-stroke victory over Hannah Green to win the Mizuho Americas Open on Sunday.

It was Korda’s sixth tournament victory in her last seven starts. She saved par on the 18th hole, which gave her just enough to defeat Green.

Nelly Korda poses for a picture after she won the Mizuho Americas Open golf tournament on Sunday, May 19, 2024 in Jersey City, New Jersey. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

“Oh, my gosh, six,” Korda said. “I can’t even really gather myself right now with that, the head to head that Hannah and I had pretty much all day. Wasn’t my best stuff out there today, but fought really hard on the back nine.”

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“It was just amazing to share the stage with Hannah.”

Korda still has quite a long summer to go, but six wins puts her within striking distance of reaching the LPGA record for most wins in a season. Mickey Wright set the mark in 1963 with a 13-win season.

She is the fourth player to win six times before June 1, joining Babe Zaharis, Louise Suggs and Lorena Ochoa. She is also the first golfer to win six times in a single season since Inbee Park in 2013.

She now looks for her seventh victory in two weeks at the U.S. Women’s Open, an event she has yet to win.

“Obviously, it’s on the top of my priority list,” she said. “I just know there is never any good when you put more pressure on yourself. Just going to stay in my bubble that week and take it a shot at a time.”

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For Green, she took the loss in stride.

Hannah Green at the Mizuho Americas Open

Hannah Green of Australia holds up her ball after sinking her putt on the first green during the final round of the Mizuho Americas Open golf tournament on Sunday, May 19, 2024 in Jersey City, New Jersey. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

XANDER SCHAUFFELE WALKS IT OFF WITH 18TH-HOLE BIRDIE TO WIN PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

“I mean, to lose to Nelly kind of like is — it’s sad, but then it’s also Nelly Korda,” Green said. “You know, like she’s obviously so dominant right now. To feel like second behind her is quite nice. Unfortunately, the bogey on the last has a little bit of a sour taste.”

Korda has 14 career LPGA Tour wins.

Green won the JM Eagle LA Championship, an event Korda had to pull out of before the tournament started. Rose Zhang broke Korda’s streak with a win at the Cognizant Founders Cup. She had to withdraw from the Mizuho Americas Open due to an illness.

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Nelly Korda and Gianna Clemente

Nelly Korda, right, poses for a picture with AJGA champion Gianna Clemente after winning the Mizuho Americas Open golf tournament on Sunday, May 19, 2024 in Jersey City, New Jersey. Clemente won the amateur portion of the event. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Korda did not play in the Honda LPGA Thailand, HSBC Women’s World Championship or the Blue Bay LPGA events.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Grant Fisher could help U.S. end its distance race drought at Paris Games

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Grant Fisher could help U.S. end its distance race drought at Paris Games

When Grant Fisher stepped to the starting line for the 10,000-meter final at the Tokyo Olympics, he knew he had to cover a lot more than 10 kilometers to get to the front of the field.

“I remember lining up next to Joshua Cheptegei and he had just broken the world records in the 5K and the 10K,” Fisher said. “He just run 26:11. I had just run 27:11.

“And I was like, ‘Man, how am I even going to get close to this guy?’”

A little more than two months before the start of the Paris Olympics, that gap has closed considerably. Fisher has run 26:33.84 and has the best time in the world at 10,000 meters since Cheptegai, a Ugandan, set his record in 2020. That makes Fisher one of the favorites to strike gold in this summer’s Games, something no U.S. distance runner has done in four decades.

“When I was growing up, the narrative was you can’t run with the East Africans,” said Fisher, 27. “I’ve been close. Some work to be done, of course. And yeah, people are closing it down.”

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Joan Benoit, who won the women’s marathon in 1984, was the last American to climb to the top of the medal podium in a race longer than 1,500 meters. Frank Shorter was the last U.S. male to do that, winning the marathon in 1972. No American has won a distance race on the track since 1964, when Billy Mills upset a loaded field to win the 10,000.

“I like that we’re even having this conversion,” said Mike Scannell, Fisher’s coach. “That means maybe we are entering the stage where we’re in the conversation for a podium slot in Paris. My initial read on that is yes, things are going extremely well for not just Grant, but for all Americans.”

The long road to this spot began in 2001, when former UCLA coach Bob Larsen and Joe Vigil, who coached distance runners for the U.S. Olympic team, began training their athletes in the 7,900-foot altitude of Mammoth Lakes. Three years later Meb Keflezighi and Deena Kastor became the first American distance runners to step on an Olympic medal stand in 20 years, with Keflezighi winning silver in the men’s marathon and Kastor bronze in the women’s race.

No other country won two medals in the marathon that summer, and in the four Olympics that followed Athens, Americans won nine Olympic medals in the distance events. Now, all of the top U.S. distance runners live and run at altitude, with most congregated in Flagstaff, Ariz., Park City, Utah, or Boulder, Colo.

“We did some things that got everybody’s attention,” said Larsen, a member of the national track and field Hall of Fame. “Everybody had kind of given up that they were going to be able to catch [the Africans].”

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Since Chris Solinsky became the first American — and first non-African — to break 27 minutes at 10,000 meters in 2010, five U.S. men have done so. Yet if the Americans have caught the Africans, they haven’t passed them because they haven’t won a distance event in the last nine Olympics. And doing that will involve more than just running fast, since tactics and luck are just as important.

“One guy gets to win gold every four years. So it’s a lofty goal,” said Fisher, who trains in Park City, Utah. “Winning gold’s tough. And it’s not just East Africans you have to worry about.”

Cheptegei agrees. Despite holding the world record in two events, the Ugandan has won just once in four Olympic finals.

“Everybody who qualifies for the Olympic Games, you really have to respect them,” he said. “It’s not really a simple task.”

Gold medalist Joshua Cheptegei, center, is flanked by silver medalist Mohammed Ahmed of Canada and bronze medalist Paul Chelimo of the U.S. after the 5,000-meter race at the Tokyo Olympics.

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(Dylan Martinez / Associated Press)

That’s because most Olympic finals are more tactical than fast, one reason why Cheptegei’s world record is nearly a minute better than the Olympic record. And while the Americans have learned to run fast over the long distances, they’re still learning to run smart.

In the 5,000 meters at Friday’s Los Angeles Grand Prix at UCLA, for example, Fisher couldn’t match a blistering 54-second final lap from Ethiopia’s Selemon Barega, finishing behind four Africans in 12:53.30. It was the sixth-fastest time in the world this year but only the fifth fastest at UCLA that evening.

“I gave myself too much ground to make up in the last 200,” said Fisher, who ran just behind the leaders for much of the race. “Great time [but] I wish I was a little more competitive with those top four guys. I can’t give them that space on the backstretch. Close that down and I think I’ll have a better chance.”

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And he does have a chance, which isn’t something that’s often been said about American distance runners entering the Olympics. The competition has become so fierce, Fisher said he’s not even thinking about Paris since he first has to get through next month’s U.S. trials in Eugene, Ore., where the field is likely to feature six of the fastest 14 10,000-meter runners in the world this year.

“Nothing’s guaranteed. It’s a very hard team to make,” he said. “You can’t be focused on the Olympics because you’re getting ahead of yourself at that point. You know how it is it’s an Olympic year. Everyone’s focus is the Games.

“But you can’t overlook USA.”

Regardless of what happens in Eugene or Paris, that counts as progress.

“This sport is rich,” Barega said. “Sometimes one athlete wins, sometimes another athlete wins. Other athletes in America are coming. Not [just] Fisher. Many athletes in America. It’s good.”

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Timberwolves overcome 20-point deficit to stun defending-champion Nuggets in Game 7

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Timberwolves overcome 20-point deficit to stun defending-champion Nuggets in Game 7

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The NBA Conference Finals are set after the second Game 7 on Sunday saw the Minnesota Timberwolves take down the Denver Nuggets, 98-90.

Unlike the league’s earlier Game 7, when the Indiana Pacers made history with their fantastic shooting in a dominant win over the New York Knicks, this one was a dogfight in which Minnesota didn’t pull away until late in the fourth quarter. 

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The Nuggets, the reigning NBA champions playing at home in this matchup, had all the momentum going for them on Sunday – to where they had a 20-point, 58-38, lead early in the third quarter. 

Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the Minnesota Timberwolves drives to the basket against Christian Braun #0 of the Denver Nuggets during the second quarter in Game 7 of the Western Conference Second Round Playoffs at Ball Arena on Sunday in Denver.  (C. Morgan Engel/Getty Images)

Then, Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards finally got shots to fall, and good offense led to great defense on the other end of the floor. 

The Timberwolves won the third quarter, 28-14, and they just kept it going into the fourth quarter. Minnesota would have a 30-point swing, which was capped by an Edwards three-pointer that made it 92-82 with 3:07 remaining in the game. 

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Nuggets fans at Ball Arena were screaming to keep their team in it, but the Timberwolves’ hustle proved to be too much in the end. 

PACERS SHOCK KNICKS WITH HISTORIC GAME 7 OFFENSIVE ONSLAUGHT, MOVE ON TO EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS

Nikola Jokic, who was gassed at the end of this game after sitting just one minute, made his final bucket with 1:02 left to cut the T-Wolves’ lead to five points. There was still a fleeting chance they could come back, but Karl-Anthony Towns – Minnesota’s co-leading scorer – put an exclamation mark on the victory with a putback dunk on a Mike Conley missed layup. 

Towns finished with 23 points on 8-of-14 shooting with 12 rebounds, two steals, two assists and one block to help his squad reach the Conference Finals. Teammate Jaden McDaniels also poured in 23 points on 7-of-10 from the field, including three three-pointers with six rebounds. 

Nikola Jokic dribbles

Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets looks to pass against Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the Minnesota Timberwolves during the third quarter in Game 7 of the Western Conference Second Round Playoffs at Ball Arena on Sunday in Denver. (C. Morgan Engel/Getty Images)

The performance by McDaniels was needed because Edwards, who has been Minnesota’s go-to scorer, didn’t have the best day with the rock in his hand. He finished with 16 points on 6-of-24 shooting, including 2-of-10 from beyond the arc.

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However, his hustle never quit, as he had eight rebounds, seven assists and two steals for the T-Wolves.

Minnesota also saw quality minutes from the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year, Naz Reid, who racked up a couple of clutch buckets in the fourth quarter, including a putback dunk like Towns. He had 11 points and four rebounds. 

For the Nuggets, they failed to hit their shots from three, finishing 24.2% as a team. Jokic, who went 2-of-10 from there, ended with 34 points and 19 rebounds during his marathon of a Game 7. 

Jamal Murray had a game-high 35 points, but he also struggled from three with only four of his 12 attempts falling. He went 13-of-27 in the field overall with three rebounds and three assists.

Anthony Edwards reacts on court

Anthony Edwards #5 of the Minnesota Timberwolves celebrates a three point basket during the third quarter against the Denver Nuggets in Game 7 of the Western Conference Second Round Playoffs at Ball Arena on Sunday in Denver. (C. Morgan Engel/Getty Images)

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After the stunning come-from-behind victory, Minnesota will now play host to Dallas on Wednesday to kick off the series that will determine who represents the West in the NBA Finals.  

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