DENVER – Mike Conley and Nickeil Alexander-Walker came to Minnesota together from Utah a little over two years ago. Alexander-Walker wasn’t sure what was in store for his future. He was a free agent after the season, and there was a chance he would be out of the NBA the following season.

“Lost,” Alexander-Walker said. “Traded twice in 18 hours, not knowing what my reality of my career was gonna be. Especially going into year four, I truly believed this could be my last year, going into my contract year, haven’t really had the opportunity to show what I could do.”

For a good portion of his career, Alexander-Walker struggled with his confidence. But by the time he stepped to the free-throw line to win the game, everybody on the Wolves, including himself, was sure he was going to win the game. Anthony Edwards, who had the confidence to throw him the ball when the Wolves needed a basket, knew it because he said he sees how hard Alexander-Walker works, how he beats everybody into the facility at 7 a.m.

“We still be asleep,” Edwards said. “He be in the gym at 7 a.m. He done got three workouts in already. We had ultimate trust in him.”

Even after a lengthy review to make sure Russell Westbrook’s foul on his three-point shot came before the buzzer, Alexander-Walker never wavered.

“It can go two ways, thinking about the free throws. What if I miss? What if I don’t? What if I miss? And then at some point in time, I was just like, well, man, if I miss, I miss,” Alexander-Walker said. “It is what it is. I trust myself. I trust my work. I knew at the end of the day, with the nerves and all that stuff, just enjoy that moment.”

Alexander-Walker had three free throws coming. The first went through after grazing the side of the rim. The second was a swish. Neither was ever in doubt. When he hit the second, he began screaming, he said.