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In what is being called "The Ayo Dosunmu Game" by fans of the Minnesota Timberwolves, former Illinois Fighting Illini guard Ayo Dosunmu scored 43 points in 41 minutes off the bench last night, propelling Minnesota to a 112-96 victory and a 3-1 series lead against the favored Denver Nuggets in the first round of the NBA playoffs.
On a night when Minnesota lost starting point guard Donte DiVicenzo with an apparently very serious ACL injury and then superstar shooting guard Anthony Edwards with a hyperextended left knee injury, Dosunmu stepped up big time, scoring a career-high in points on 13-of-17 from the field, 5-for-5 from three, and 12-for-12 from the free throw line.
Dosunmu scored 27 of his 43 points in the second half, which matched the total number of combined points from Nuggets' stars Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray in the game's final 24 minutes.
Dosunmu became just the fourth player in NBA history to score 40 points off the bench during a playoff game, joining the likes of the Seattle Supersonics' Downtown Freddie Brown (45 points in the 1976 Western Conference Finals), the Dallas Mavericks' Nick Van Exel (40 points in the 2003 Western Conference semifinals) and the Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry (40 points in the 2016 Western Conference semifinals).
A free agent heading into this offseason, Dosunmu is certainly playing the best ball of his career at the right time for his team and himself.
On Thursday night, Dosunmu led the Timberwolves with 25 points in 32 minutes to give Minnesota a 2-1 lead in the first round series. He also dropped 9 assists in front of Illinois Head Coach Brad Underwood, assistant coaches Tyler Underwood and Zach Hamer, and Illini freshman sensation Keaton Wagler, all of whom were pictured with the former Illinois star prior to his big Game Three.
Traded by the Chicago Bulls to the Timberwolves at the NBA trade deadline in February, Dosunmu scored 14 and 9 points, respectively, in the first two games of the series before his offensive explosions in the third and fourth games in Minnesota.
With DiVicenzo likely done for the season and Edwards' status uncertain, the sixth-seed Wolves will need Dosunmu to continue his heroics in order to knock off the third-seed Nuggets.
Game 5 of the series will tip off Monday night in Denver.
Here are highlights of Dosunmu's amazing performances from Saturday and Thursday night, and a few trips down memory lane of his three seasons with the Illini.
On a night when Minnesota lost starting point guard Donte DiVicenzo with an apparently very serious ACL injury and then superstar shooting guard Anthony Edwards with a hyperextended left knee injury, Dosunmu stepped up big time, scoring a career-high in points on 13-of-17 from the field, 5-for-5 from three, and 12-for-12 from the free throw line.
Dosunmu scored 27 of his 43 points in the second half, which matched the total number of combined points from Nuggets' stars Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray in the game's final 24 minutes.
Dosunmu became just the fourth player in NBA history to score 40 points off the bench during a playoff game, joining the likes of the Seattle Supersonics' Downtown Freddie Brown (45 points in the 1976 Western Conference Finals), the Dallas Mavericks' Nick Van Exel (40 points in the 2003 Western Conference semifinals) and the Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry (40 points in the 2016 Western Conference semifinals).
A free agent heading into this offseason, Dosunmu is certainly playing the best ball of his career at the right time for his team and himself.
On Thursday night, Dosunmu led the Timberwolves with 25 points in 32 minutes to give Minnesota a 2-1 lead in the first round series. He also dropped 9 assists in front of Illinois Head Coach Brad Underwood, assistant coaches Tyler Underwood and Zach Hamer, and Illini freshman sensation Keaton Wagler, all of whom were pictured with the former Illinois star prior to his big Game Three.
Traded by the Chicago Bulls to the Timberwolves at the NBA trade deadline in February, Dosunmu scored 14 and 9 points, respectively, in the first two games of the series before his offensive explosions in the third and fourth games in Minnesota.
With DiVicenzo likely done for the season and Edwards' status uncertain, the sixth-seed Wolves will need Dosunmu to continue his heroics in order to knock off the third-seed Nuggets.
Game 5 of the series will tip off Monday night in Denver.
Here are highlights of Dosunmu's amazing performances from Saturday and Thursday night, and a few trips down memory lane of his three seasons with the Illini.
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