Timberwolves blow out Nuggets in Denver, extend winning streak to six games

Taking a glance at a relatively weak Minnesota Timberwolves schedule in the month of March, there was one game that stood out from the crowd: March 12 at the Denver Nuggets. The latest installment in what's become a growing rivalry.

And in the latest battle between Northwest Division foes, neither a masterclass from Nikola Jokic nor a surging third quarter from Jamal Murray mattered as the Timberwolves took controlled the tempo early, had an answer for every Nuggets run and ultimately left Ball Arena in Denver with a 115-95 victory, Minnesota's sixth straight, Wednesday night.

Julius Randle has been doing a little bit of everything for the Wolves (38-29), mainly utilizing his playmaking since he returned from a groin injury six games ago. But on Wednesday night, Randle provided the scoring punch he'd showed the past several seasons in New York. Randle got Minnesota going with nine first-quarter points, offsetting a big effort from Jokic, and made back-to-back buckets to start the fourth quarter and later hit a 3 that gave the Wolves a 21-point lead.

Randle finished with 25 points on 9-for-12 shooting, four rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals in 28 minutes.

Anthony Edwards had a team-high 29 points, six assists and four rebounds. He scored 10 points in the third quarter as the Wolves stretched their lead to 14 despite Jokic and Murray each putting up double-digit scoring frames. Murray started ice cold and scored just one point in the first half, but came on after the break with 11 third-quarter points. That didn't change what was ultimately a rough night for the guard, who finished with 12 points on 4-for-15 shooting.

The Wolves also shut down Michael Porter Jr., who scored just 10 points on 3-for-10 shooting. Jokic, however, once again proved an unstoppable force, putting up a game-high 34 points, eight rebounds and four assists on a night the Nuggets (42-24) were without Aaron Gordon, who was ruled out just before the game with a calf injury. While Denver was short-handed without Gordon, the Wolves didn't just beat the Nuggets — they dominated them from start to finish.

Edwards and Randle were the drivers of the effort — Randle's strong first quarter helped Minnesota jump out to an early lead and Edwards' big third helped the Wolves expand that advantage heading into the fourth. But it was once again their offensive balance that made them impossible to stop. Five players in all scored in double figures. Jaden McDaniels had 16 points and eight rebounds. Rudy Gobert posted a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds while guarding Jokic.

Donte DiVincenzo finished with 10 points and six assists off the bench, recording a game-best plus-minus of plus-23.

Both teams emptied their benches with several minutes still remaining in the fourth quarter.

Wednesday's win didn't just feel like another Wolves victory — it felt like a statement. It's one thing to win five games in a row against inferior competition, it's another to extend that streak to six games by blowing out the No. 2 team in the Western Conference on their home floor. Minnesota is rolling at the right time and there's no signs of it slowing down.

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