NBA Playoffs: Hawks, Timberwolves Stun in Dramatic Game 2 Comebacks

Two of the NBA Playoffs' biggest Monday-night matchups ended in stunning upsets, as the Minnesota Timberwolves and Atlanta Hawks both erased double-digit deficits to even their first-round series at 1-1.

Timberwolves 119, Nuggets 114

Anthony Edwards poured in 30 points and Julius Randle added 24 as Minnesota overcame a 19-point deficit on the road to beat the Denver Nuggets 119-114, ESPN and basketnews.com reported. Randle sealed the win by hitting both free throws to extend the Timberwolves' lead to three in the closing seconds.

The comeback evened the series at 1-1 and robbed Denver of the chance to head to Minneapolis with a 2-0 lead. It was a signature moment for Edwards, who has carried the Timberwolves offensively through the opening round, and for a Minnesota defense that stiffened down the stretch to blunt Nikola Jokic and Denver's scoring attack.

Hawks 107, Knicks 106

At Madison Square Garden, CJ McCollum scored 32 points — including the go-ahead bucket with 34 seconds left — as the Atlanta Hawks shocked the New York Knicks 107-106, Yahoo Sports and NBA.com reported. Atlanta erased a 12-point fourth-quarter deficit to pull even in the series.

The loss ended one of the most remarkable regular-season statistical streaks in the league: New York had entered the game 39-0 in the regular season when leading by 12 or more points entering the fourth quarter, per knicks.com and Yahoo Sports. The collapse hands the Hawks home-court advantage heading back to Atlanta and inserts McCollum into the list of Garden villains of playoffs past.

A turning Monday

Together, the two Game 2 results reshaped the early narrative of the 2026 playoffs. Where Sunday had been defined by routs, Monday proved that no first-round series is safe from a sudden swing. Both upsets set up pivotal Game 3s on the road.