A Block of the Year candidate, NBA Finals preview, and another monster stat line from an MVP candidate highlights today's edition of The Morning Dunk to end your week on a high note with a healthy dose of basketball content.
Edwards secures Win For Timberwolves With Insane Rejection
Legend has it that Anthony Edwards is still soaring out of the Gainbridge Fieldhouse as we speak.
With the Indiana Pacers attempting to lock the score on their final possession during the dying seconds of the fourth quarter, Edwards leaped into the air and blocked Aaron Nesmith while also hitting his own head off of the backboard to secure a 113-111 road victory for the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Edwards finished with 44 points on 18-of-35 shooting, even after exiting early with an apparent foot injury.
Anthony Edwards hit his head on the backboard with this game-saving block!
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) March 8, 2024
He also had 16 of his 44 POINTS in the 4th quarterpic.twitter.com/KCdY1JBNXE
The victory vaulted Minnesota into the top seed in the Western Conference, half a game ahead of the Oklahoma City Thunder. It was the team's first game since it was revealed that All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns would require surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee.
Nuggets Prevail Over Celtics In Potential Finals Preview
The Boston Celtics have dropped consecutive games for the first time since early November, with their latest defeat perhaps being their most humbling of the 2023-24 campaign.
Nikola Jokic recorded the 30th 30-point triple-double of his career with 32 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists while Jamal Murray added 19 points of his own to lead the reigning champion Denver Nuggets past Boston at Ball Arena, 115-109.
The win improved Denver's record to 7-1 SU since the All-Star break and a perfect 2-0 against the Celtics, despite shooting below 26 percent from 3-point range each game against Boston this season.
Joker did Joker things to lead the @nuggets over the 1st-place Celtics 🃏
— NBA (@NBA) March 8, 2024
32 PTS | 12 REB | 11 AST pic.twitter.com/GKi4y9Lbuv
The Nuggets were slim 1.5-point underdogs in this matchup, covering the spread for the sixth time in eight games while the Celtics failed to do so for just the second time in eight attempts.
Doncic's Triple-Double Streak Continues Vs. Heat
Make that five games in a row where Luka Doncic has registered a 30-point triple-double, making him just the second player in league history to ever pull off such a miraculous feat.
The Dallas Mavericks needed that monster box score from Doncic to hold off the feisty Miami Heat in a 114-108 win, as the 25-year-old ended with 35 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 dimes across 40 minutes of action.
Doncic has had at least 35 points with each of his last four triple-doubles, which no other player has ever duplicated.
Luka Doncic over his last 5 games:
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) March 8, 2024
35 PTS - 11 REB - 11 AST
39 PTS - 10 REB - 11 AST
38 PTS - 11 REB - 10 AST
37 PTS - 12 REB - 11 AST
30 PTS - 12 REB - 16 AST pic.twitter.com/1KlF4QcjYV
Doncic jumped from +800 to +700 odds in the MVP race overnight, which is still third overall behind Jokic (-170) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (+250).
