Minnesota defeated the Nuggets 117-108 for its third straight win and sixth in the last seven games.
As was the case in all of these wins, the Nuggets were down two of their top six players in the nationally televised matinee as both Aaron Gordon and Peyton Watson sat out with injuries.
That proved crucial, especially in regard to the damage these absences did to Denver’s bench – where the Wolves won the game.
Minnesota got off to a slow start and trailed by nine to one. But the Nuggets opened the second frame without Nikola Jokic or Jamal Murray. The Wolves responded by scoring the first nine points of the quarter, forcing Denver coach David Adelman to bring Murray back into the game.
But by then, the momentum was already in the hands of Minnesota (38-23), which got a 15-point first half from Bones Hyland. The likes of Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle rode the wave on their returns, and the Wolves led by eight at the break.
Jonas Valančiūnas, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Bruce Brown were Denver’s top three reserves on Sunday. Minnesota gained their minutes by 15, 17 and 12 points respectively.
On the other hand, Minnesota won Jaden McDaniels’ minutes by 20 points. He was excellent on both ends, limiting Murray’s effectiveness through the first three quarters while going 9 for 12 offensively from the field for 20 points.
Rudy Gobert had 15 rebounds and three steals, while Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle combined for 13 assists.
Jokic had 35 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists as Denver won its 37 minutes by four points, but the Nuggets (37-24) struggled to find any production outside of their top two players. Denver went 6 for 22 from three-point range.
All eight Minnesota players who saw time Sunday finished with at least seven points on a day that saw 54% shooting from the floor and 39% from deep.
Naz Reid was somewhat inconsistent, but he had a few buckets in transition in the fourth quarter to maintain the necessary cushion. Donte DiVincenzo was excellent, scoring 17 points on five triples to go with five dimes.
Denver shot 56% from the field in the fourth quarter on Sunday but turned the ball over seven times, including a Murray giveaway that had the Wolves leading by seven in the final three minutes, effectively putting the game on ice.
The Wolves converted 14 Nuggets turnovers into 22 points on the day. In total, Minnesota scored a whopping 30 fast-break points.
The win moves Minnesota one game clear of Denver in the West standings, which is crucial considering the Nuggets hold the season tiebreaker. The Wolves and Rockets are now tied for No. 3 in the conference.
Minnesota next hosts Memphis on Tuesday. It’s possible that signee Kyle Anderson will be available for that game. It’s worth noting ahead of his arrival that Terrence Shannon Jr. and Jaylen Clark saw minutes off the bench on Sunday.
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