Ayo Dosunmu Matches Steph Curry, Becomes Only the Fourth Player in NBA History to drop 40+ Points Off the Bench in Playoff Game

Ayo Dosunmu etched himself in the playoff record books and joined a small group of players on Saturday.

Ayo Dosunmu Matches Steph Curry, Becomes Only the Fourth Player in NBA History to drop 40+ Points Off the Bench in Playoff Game

Ayo Dosunmu (Image credits - Firstsportz)

In Short
  • Ayo Dosunmu scored 43 points off the bench in Game 4, leading the Timberwolves to a 112-96 victory over the Nuggets.
  • He became only the fourth player in NBA history to score over 40 points off the bench in a playoff game.
  • Dosunmu's performance comes as key players Donte DiVincenzo and Anthony Edwards struggle with injuries.

Ayo Dosunmu is in the form of his life at the moment. With Donte DiVincenzo suffering a torn Achilles tendon in the first quarter and Anthony Edwards struggling to find his rhythm with ongoing knee problems, Dosunmu has stepped up as the Minnesota Timberwolves’ key scorer in this series.

After an impressive 25-point performance in Game 3, Dosunmu had the game of his life in Game 4 against the Denver Nuggets at the Target Center. The Timberwolves guard lit the game with 43 points as the Timberwolves recorded a convincing 112-96 victory over the Nuggets to take a 3-1 lead in the series.

His 43 points on Saturday night saw him become just the fourth player in NBA history to score over 40 points coming off the bench in a playoff game. He joined the likes of Stephen Curry, Fred Brown, and Nick Van Exel. Curry was the last player to achieve this feat back in 2016.

The Nuggets-Wolves series has been heated on and off the court. Jaden McDaniels has grabbed the headlines over the last few days. He critiqued the Nuggets’ defense by name-dropping each player and was involved in a heated altercation with Nikola Jokic in the final seconds of Game 4.

Heading into this series, it was expected that Jokic and Edwards would take the center stage with their performances. However, that hasn’t been the case, as Edwards hasn’t completed games 3 and 4 due to his knee issues, while Jokic has struggled to find his way against Rudy Gobert’s defense, who seems to have the Serbian on a lock.

With the two superstars struggling to stamp their authority in the series, Ayo Dosunmu has emerged as the best player in the last two games. In Game 4, he shot at 76.5% from the field and made all five of his three-pointer attempts. He even went 100% from the line as he made 12 out of 12 free throws in arguably one of the best playoff performances so far this year.

Fans react to Ayo Dosunmu’s historic night against the Nuggets

Ayo Dosunmu was acquired by the Timberwolves at the trade deadline this year. In his 24 appearances for the Wolves this year in the regular season, he has averaged 14.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 3.6 assists.

But his performance on Saturday night took the NBA world by storm as he became the first player since Stephen Curry to score 40+ points from the bench in a playoff game. Fans took to social media to react to Dosunmu’s historic night.

Fans were left impressed by Dosunmu’s Game 4 performance. His emergence has been a huge relief to the Wolves, with Edwards struggling and Julius Randle not playing to his best. The Wolves will hope to see more of this as the postseason progresses.

Chris Finch heaps praise on Ayo Dosunmu

Since getting drafted into the league as a second-round pick in the 2021 NBA draft, Ayo Dosunmu has developed his game as a scorer and is seen as a vital role player. After spending 4.5 seasons with the Chicago Bulls, Dosunmu was traded to the Wolves at the deadline this year. The move has worked wonders so far.

Ayo Dosunmu in Game 4
Ayo Dosunmu in Game 4 (Image credits – Polymarket Sports/X)

After the game, Wolves head coach Chris Finch spoke to the media about the 26-year-old.

He’s a gamer. He’s really a gamer like he just has met the moment since he’s gotten here, the beginning of the series, you can see him trying to feel his way through it. Obviously game three, his aggression just came out, and he just kept with it. Goes places, quick, unbelievable finisher, makes big shots, not afraid.

Chris Finch in his post-match press conference

With DiVincenzo’s season coming to an end and Edwards not playing to his best, Dosunmu will be expected to close out the series for the Wolves in Game 5 in Denver. A 3-1 series lead may also see the Wolves take the risk of resting Edwards, which may open a spot for Dosunmu in the starting five.

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