Nobody saw what was coming from the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday night. 

Anthony Edwards left with a leg injury. Donte DiVincenzo left with a leg injury. Two of Minnesota's most important players, both out of a game the Timberwolves absolutely needed to win, with a chance to go up 3-1 in a series against the defending champion Nuggets. Most teams in that situation fold. Minnesota didn't come close to folding.

Ayo Dosunmu walked into that void and delivered one of the most stunning individual performances in recent NBA playoff memory. Forty three points including five of five from three, and twelve of twelve from the free throw line. It was the highest-scoring playoff game by a reserve in fifty years of NBA basketball.

The last player to do something like this off the bench in the postseason was Fred Brown in 1976, and most people watching Saturday night had never even heard that name before. Minnesota won 112-96 and leads the series 3-1. They can now close the series out Monday in Denver.

Dosunmu's night was the story, but this win was built on defense first, the way every big Minnesota win this season has been. The Nuggets led by seven in the third quarter. Denver had their best players on the floor and they looked like a team that was going to make this series interesting.

But back to back turnovers forced near halfcourt turned into breakaway layups on consecutive possessions, both of them killing Denver's momentum before it could build into anything real. Bones Hyland converted the first one. Dosunmu converted the second. Just like that the lead was gone and the building was alive again.

Julius Randle added a steal and a thunderous fast break dunk to put the Wolves up four heading into the fourth quarter. From that point forward it was a different game entirely. Dosunmu opened the fourth with another steal and another layup as part of a 9-0 run that stretched the lead to 95-82 and made it feel over. 

That's who this team is. When one guy goes down, another one steps up. It's been that way all season and it's been that way throughout this series.

The Timberwolves are one win away from advancing past the first round. Nobody could have scripted a 43-point playoff performance from Dosunmu, but that's the nature of this group right now. When a player's number gets called in a big moment, they've been ready.

The health of Edwards will be the biggest storyline for the remainder of the series. It doesn't seem like a high likelihood he plays on Monday, but we've seen him do crazier things. 

But right now, even Ant's health feels secondary. A reserve just put up one of the greatest individual playoff performances in many years, and the Timberwolves are one game away from moving on. Monday in Denver is going to be loud. Minnesota has to go in there and finish the job.

After Saturday night, it's hard to bet against this team.