Game 4 between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets felt less like a playoff game than a stress test. Minnesota lost Donte DiVincenzo to a torn right Achilles almost immediately, then watched Anthony Edwards leave in the second quarter with a left knee injury. And still, somehow, the Wolves turned a night that could have collapsed their season into a 112-96 win, a 3-1 series lead, and one of the strangest, toughest statements of these playoffs. DiVincenzo will miss the rest of the postseason (and far beyond), while Edwards’ status remains uncertain after he had to be helped off the floor.
The rescue came from Ayo Dosunmu, who delivered the kind of performance that changes how a series is remembered. He scored a career-high 43 points – the highest-scoring playoff performance by a reserve in 50 years. With Minnesota’s backcourt suddenly shredded, Dosunmu did not merely fill minutes. He took ownership of the game, turning emergency into opportunity and giving the Wolves the offensive force they had every reason to lack.
AYO DOSUNMU GIVES WOLVES 3-1 LEAD WITH NIGHT FOR THE AGES.
🔥 43 PTS, most he’s scored in NBA
🔥 13-17 FGM, 5-5 3PM, 12-12 FTM
🔥 68 PTS in Games 3+4Dosunmu is the first player since Steph Curry in 2016 to score 40+ off the bench in the NBA Playoffs presented by @Google! pic.twitter.com/myApdo2aRg
— NBA (@NBA) April 26, 2026
Denver, meanwhile, leaves Minneapolis with more than a 3-1 deficit. The Nuggets entered the night already managing injury concerns of their own, including Aaron Gordon’s left calf issue, and they never found the authority required to punish a wounded opponent. Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray had chances to drag the game into Denver’s preferred kind of tension, but Minnesota’s defense and Dosunmu’s scoring kept turning the night back toward the Wolves.
Then came the final flashpoint. With the game decided, Jaden McDaniels scored in the closing seconds, angering Denver and triggering a late confrontation that led to ejections for Jokić, Julius Randle and McDaniels.
WOLVES-NUGGETS GET CHIPPY AT THE END OF GAME 4 😳
Jokić didn’t like McDaniels’ last-second layup 😬 pic.twitter.com/Do9a85rdlC
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 26, 2026
It was an ugly, theatrical ending to a game already overflowing with pain, frustration and competitive edge.
That is what makes Game 4 so memorable. The Timberwolves did not win cleanly. They won through damage. They won after losing two major guards, after seeing their best player’s knee become the story, after the game nearly dissolved into chaos at the end. Now they are one win from eliminating Denver, but the price of that position may be severe. The Wolves left Game 4 ahead in the series and surrounded by uncertainty.
