Three Concerning Takeaways From Nuggets' Loss to Timberwolves

After winning just four of their 11 games in February, the Denver Nuggets were hoping to have more success in March. However, in their first game of the new month, the Nuggets fell to the Minnesota Timberwolves 117-108.

The Nuggets have now suffered two straight losses and have lost eight of their last 12, and by falling to the Timberwolves, they have dropped to fifth place in the Western Conference. What went wrong in Sunday's home loss? Here are three takeaways from the Nuggets' nine-point loss to the Timberwolves.

Nuggets need to take care of the ball

Final pic.twitter.com/XQZZ2lYMsN
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) March 1, 2026

While the Nuggets and Timberwolves each committed 14 turnovers, Denver got torn apart on the break. The Timberwolves scored 22 points off turnovers, compared to the Nuggets' 11, but the real discrepancy came in the open court.

The Timberwolves had 30 fastbreak points, destroying the Nuggets in transition, as Denver scored just six in that department. The Nuggets gave the Timberwolves far too many chances at easy baskets, and for a team that already struggles defensively, they cannot afford to get outscored in transition to that extent.

Minnesota collected 11 steals in Sunday's game, with a few in crucial moments, and the Nuggets have no excuse for that mistake.

The non-Jokic minutes destroyed Denver

Nikola Jokic vs Minnesota:

35 PTS
13 REB
9 AST
2 BLK

Couldn't get the win. pic.twitter.com/Xft5BOspXF
— StatMuse (@statmuse) March 1, 2026

It is no surprise that the Nuggets are better when their three-time MVP center is on the floor. However, they certainly need to be better when he is off of it.

In Sunday's nine-point loss, the Nuggets were plus-six with Jokic on the court, meaning they were outscored by 15 points while he was on the bench. This could be a problem with backup center Jonas Valanciunas, who did not make much of an impact on Sunday, or it could simply be a gameplan issue for their non-Jokic minutes.

Regardless, the Nuggets cannot afford to get outscored by 15 points in the ten minutes Jokic is on the bench, especially when they proved to be the better team while he was on the floor.

Jokic finished the game with 35 points, 13 rebounds, and nine assists on 15-26 shooting from the field. After the Nuggets dug themselves a hole, Jokic did everything he could to pull them out of it, headlined by a 17-point third quarter. Unfortunately, it resulted in a loss, and in a playoff series, they will likely need him to play closer to 40-42 minutes per game to have a chance.

A three-point shooting atrocity

Feb 22, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Cameron Johnson (23) dribbles upcourt against the Golden State Warriors in the third quarter at Chase Center. | David Gonzales-Imagn Images

The Nuggets had a very rough shooting performance on Sunday, knocking down just six of their 22 attempts. Shooting 27% from beyond the arc is never a recipe for success, and it was headlined by a zero-point outing from Cam Johnson.

Johnson ultimately left Sunday's game early with an ankle injury, but in 23 minutes of action, he went scoreless on 0-6 shooting from the field and 0-4 from beyond the arc. Of course, this was a concerning performance by their offseason addition, but he was not the only player to struggle from beyond the arc.

Jokic shot 1-4 from deep, Jamal Murray shot 2-6, and Christian Braun, Julian Strawther, and Zeke Nnaji combined to shoot 0-4 from beyond the arc. The only Nugget who could get it going from deep was Tim Hardaway Jr., who finished with 17 points on 3-4 shooting from three-point range, but had just five points in 17 minutes in the second half.

Overall, this was a poor performance by the Nuggets, and as their schedule gets tougher and the playoffs get closer, they need to figure things out.