Nuggets smother Timberwolves in overtime loss
The Minnesota Timberwolves looked to capitalize on the momentum following an overtime win over the Golden State Warriors on Friday night, but thanks to a superior defensive performance and a clutch basket by Nikola Jokic, the Denver Nuggets foiled those plans by handing Minnesota a 100-98 overtime loss at Target Center on Sunday afternoon.
Things got off to a good start for the Timberwolves thanks to the effort from a pair of their young building blocks: Josh Okogie produced 12 points off the bench while rookie Jarrett Culver chipped in with eight as Minnesota jumped out to a 51-49 lead at halftime.
While Karl-Anthony Towns provided a monster game in the paint (25 points, 16 rebounds), the big difference in this game was the Minnesota's shooting.
Minnesota couldn't buy a bucket from beyond the arc as they connected on just 6-of-44 (13.6%) 3-point attempts and shot just 35.1 percent overall. With the Timberwolves struggling from the floor, the Nuggets made their run in the third quarter, using a 27-13 frame to blow the game open.
Despite the deficit, the Wolves made a run to get themselves back into the game in the fourth quarter on the back of Andrew Wiggins, who finished the game with 25 points.
Wiggins also came up with a key play to force overtime, finding Towns in the corner for a a 3-pointer that sent the game into overtime tied at 90.
Tied at 98, Jokic hit a fade-away jumper over Towns with 2.4 seconds left to clinch the victory for Denver.
Minnesota falls to 5-4 on the season, but won't have much time to dwell on the loss as they travel to take on the Detroit Pistons on Monday at 6 p.m.
