By IlliniGuys Staff

April 25, 2026

MINNEAPOLIS -- Ayo Dosunmu entered this postseason with just 20 career points in the playoffs.

He's averaging more than that in his first foray into the postseason with Minnesota.

The former Illini All-American scored a career-high 43 points, stepping up for a Timberwolves team that had lost starting guards Anthony Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo to injury and lifting them to a 112-96 win over Denver.

Minnesota, the 6-seed in the NBA's Western Conference, now leads the opening round series 3-1.

DiVincenzo was one of only four players in the NBA to start all 82 games this season, but went down less than two minutes into the game with a non-contact right Achilles tendon tear that will end his season.

Later in the first half, Edwards left the game with an apparent hyperextended left knee while guarding a fast-break layup attempt. The third leading scorer in the league at 28.8 points per game was limited to just 61 games this season due to injury. He did not return to the game and his availability moving forward is uncertain.

Enter Dosunmu. The fifth-year pro, who will be a free agent this summer, came over in a trade with Chicago in February and has become an instant spark off the bench. Dosunmu set a Timberwolves playoff record with 25 points off bench in the Game 3 win Thursday night.

He was even better in Game 4. Dosunmu scored 27 points in the second half to engineer a comeback, finishing with 43 points to break his own team mark for most points by a reserve in a playoff game, and making up for the loss of their starting backcourt.

"I'm just blessed to be able to play in the postseason", said Dosunmu, who was unaware of the severity of either injury immediately after the game. "I hope we get a good report on those guys. This one was for them."

The former second round draft pick went 13-of-17 from the field while hitting all five three-point attempts and all 12 shots from the free throw line.

"Ayo was just out of this world", said Timberwolves coach Chris Finch. "Just play after play after play."

Dosunmu's performance was the second best ever by a reserve in an NBA playoff game since record-keeping began in 1971. Seattle's Fred Brown scored 45 points off the bench in the SuperSonics' 116-111 loss to Phoenix in April, 1976, according to ESPN.

He's averaging 22.8 points per game in the season, will likely play a major role for Minnesota for the rest of the playoffs, possibly entering the starting lineup after playing in five playoff games for Chicago in their opening series loss to Milwaukee in 2022.

The game ended on a sour note when Denver center Nikola Jokic took exception to Jaden McDaniels scoring an uncontested layup with two seconds left and a brief shoving match ensued involving several players from both teams as coaches and game officials attempted to maintain order. Jokic and Minnesota's Julius Randle were both ejected.

Game 5 in the series will be Monday night in Denver.