Spirited effort gives Timberwolves win over West-leading Nuggets
Desperate for a win, the odds were stacked against the Minnesota Timberwolves. They were at home but they were hosting the Western Conference-leading Denver Nuggets and playing without Karl-Anthony Towns (calf), D'Angelo Russell (illness), Naz Reid (back), Taurean Prince (shoulder) and Jordan McLaughlin (calf).
Instead of folding like a wet paper towel and losing a seventh straight game, Anthony Edwards and a cast of outcasts took the Nuggets down, winning 124-111. It was an all-around effort for the shorthanded Wolves.
- Anthony Edwards: 29 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists
- Jaden McDaniels: 21 points on 9-of-10 shooting
- Kyle Anderson: 19 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals
- Rudy Gobert: 8 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks in 27 minutes
- Jaylen Nowell: 17 points on 8-of-16 shooting
- Luka Garza: 9 points and 6 rebounds in 14 minutes
- Nate Knight: 8 points and 8 rebounds in 22 minutes
- Austin Rivers: 8 points and 5 assists in 30 minutes
- Matt Ryan: 5 points and a +5 rating in 21 minutes
"KAT just told me to take over. Take over the second half and that's what I decided to do and they helped me," said Edwards, who scored 15 of his 29 points in the third quarter, on Bally Sports North.
The laundry list of ailments gave Luka Garza, Nate Knight, Matt Ryan, Austin Rivers and Jaylen Nowell the opportunity to keep the game close at the start of the fourth quarter. They conquered that mission by turning a 90-85 lead into a 105-95 lead with 7:30 left in the final frame.
Garza scored 7 of his 9 points in that stretch.
But back came the Nuggets on an 8-0 run in the next two minutes, cutting the lead to two at 105-103. But again, the Wolves didn't fold. McDaniels hit a layup, Edwards buried a jumper and Anderson knocked down a corner 3 to make it a 112-105 with 4:10 to play.
And then after a huge block by Rudy Gobert that was questionably ruled goaltending, McDaniels gathered an offensive rebound and kicked it out to Rivers for a 3 that put Minnesota up 118-107 with 1:43 to play.
Fourteen seconds later McDaniels dagger'd the Nuggets with a corner 3 for a 121-109 margin.
Arguably the most important stats of the night were the Timberwolves not getting smashed on the glass and not turning it over a million times. Denver out-rebounded Minnesota but only by three, 44 to 41. And the Wolves had just 11 turnovers compared to 29 assists.
Up next: The Timberwolves (17-21) host the Portland Trail Blazes at 7 p.m. Wednesday.
