The Minnesota Timberwolves outlasted the Nuggets 117-108 to move one game ahead of Denver in the Western Conference on Sunday.
Anthony Edwards dropped 21 points for the Wolves, while Bones Hyland added 18 points against his former team.
The Wolves capped their three-game trip to improve to 38-23 and jump into fourth place in the West, beating the Nuggets for the first time in four games this season.
Meanwhile, there are just two games between third-seeded Houston and the sixth-place Los Angeles Lakers, with Los Angeles set to host Sacramento later Sunday.
Nikola Jokic led the Nuggets with 35 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists, but not enough to beat Minnesota. Jamal Murray had 25 points on 9-of-22 shooting, including 4-of-6 from beyond the arc.
The Nuggets have lost four of six games since the All-Star break as they have been playing without forward Aaron Gordon since January 30 due to a hamstring injury, while Peyton Watson has also been sidelined with a hamstring injury.
The Timberwolves led 58-50 at halftime and went up 83-69 after Donte DiVincenzo made three 3-pointers.
Denver cut the lead to five late in the third, but Minnesota answered 104-92 with 7:05 to go.
Despite Murray providing a spark with a driving dunk over Rudy Gobert, the Wolves managed to respond with five straight points and an Edwards three-pointer to make it 109-96.
Minnesota will host the Grizzlies on Tuesday night, while the Nuggets visit Utah on Monday.
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