Los Angeles Lakers icon and Hall of Famer Magic Johnson gave his take on the reason why the Denver Nuggets got eliminated as early as the Western Conference Semifinals against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The reigning NBA champions will not retain their title after losing the all-or-nothing Game 7 to the Wolves at home, 98-90, at the Ball Arena in Denver on Sunday, May 19th.

"Defense, defense, and more defense won the game for the Timberwolves. WOW! What a game! Six guys finished with double figure scoring led by Karl Anthony-Townes and Jaden McDaniels, each finished with 23 points and KAT added 12 rebounds!," the Hall of Famer posted on social media platform X, formerly Twitter after the game.

The Timberwolves received assistance from unexpected contributors as star Anthony Edwards was limited to 16 points on 6-of-24 shooting.

Reigning NBA Sixth Man of the Year Naz Reid was huge for the Timberwolves on both ends of the court, contributing 11 points while his defense on Nuggets star Nikola Jokic proved valuable, especially in crunch time.

Nuggets blow huge half-time advantage

Denver looked like they were on the brink of a second straight Western Conference Finals appearance after holding a 15-point lead at halftime, 53-38.

However, Minnesota outscored the defending champions 60-37 in the second half en route to a stunning comeback win.

The Timberwolves will face the Dallas Mavericks, led by Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, in the 2024 Western Conference Finals, with Game 1 set on Wednesday, May 22, at the Target Center in Minneapolis.