Saturday was full of action around the Association, with six games on tap to continue the 2024–25 NBA Season. This time around, a rematch of a classic series from last season and some more injury news were the headliners of the day.
Wolves and Nuggets Deliver Yet Again
The Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets dueled in what was an epic Western Conference semi-finals last season, and their first meeting this season proved to be just as special.
It appeared the Nuggets were on the verge of exacting some sort of vengeance for their defeat last season, uncorking a 25-3 run in the fourth to seemingly take control, 116-109. But the Wolves roared right back, scoring the game’s last 10 points to pull out a 119-106 victory at Target Center.
Jamal Murray Leaves with Concussion, Injuries Decimate Pelicans
Murray, the Nuggets’ second-best player, was not around to finish the game against the Wolves, having left early after a collision with Julius Randle.
The sweet-shooting Olympian was chasing the Wolves’ Anthony Edwards when he inadvertently got hit in the nose by Randle’s shoulder as the latter backed up in pursuit of the Nuggets’ Aaron Gordon. Murray was placed in concussion protocol as his head jerked back from the collision.
Meanwhile, the New Orleans Pelicans’ list of walking wounded just got longer. The team announced on Saturday that wing Herb Jones and guard CJ McCollum will also be out indefinitely, joining Dejounte Murray (broken hand) and Trey Murphy III (right hamstring strain).
McCollum sustained a right adductor strain and will be out for two to three weeks. On the other hand, Jones suffered a right shoulder strain with a low-grade partial-thickness tear in his rotator cuff and will be sidelined for two to four weeks. Both got hurt on Wednesday in the Pelicans’ game against the Golden State Warriors.
Lakers Snap Two-Game Skid with First Road Win
The Los Angeles Lakers won on the road for the first time this season thanks to a monstrous first quarter, 43-19, that helped the Purple and Gold overcome the Toronto Raptors, 131-125, at Scotiabank Arena.
What appeared to be a walk in the park for the Lakers, though, nearly turned into a nightmare as the Raptors cut the lead to 106-98 midway in the fourth. Back-to-back Rui Hachimura treys restored some order, only for the Raptors to climb to within 127-121 with just 21.1 seconds left. The Lakers ultimately held on to snap their two-game slide.
