For the first 35 minutes, the Minnesota Timberwolves looked better than the Denver Nuggets. But with a roster that has much more experience, the Nuggets surged back and scored a 93-91 victory over the Wolves on Saturday night.
The Wolves started the game strong and built a lead that swelled up to 14 midway through the first half. One of the main catalysts was Malik Beasley who knocked down six 3-pointers to provide his team-high 18 points on the night.
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But the Nuggets battled their way back despite being without Jamal Murray. Denver was led by Nikola Jokic who dominated in the paint, scoring 26 points to go with 19 rebounds.
With the Nuggets getting back into the game, they went into the locker room down 47-42 at halftime and pulled even with Minnesota heading into the fourth quarter.
In the heart of a physical battle, the Wolves couldn’t get the usual punch from their top trio. Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Edwards and D’Angelo Russell all scored 14 points each and the Nuggets took a four-point lead with 1:25 to go.
A lay-up from Edwards cut the lead down to two points with 31 seconds to go and a steal from Towns gave the Wolves a chance to tie the game. But Edwards heard the buzzer from the shot clock and thought about forcing a shot from midcourt.
WHAT AN ENDING IN MINNESOTA!
Will Barton and Nikola Jokic defend the rim to keep the lead and take the win for the @nuggets! pic.twitter.com/MGDHSnRvju
— NBA (@NBA) October 31, 2021
With the slight hesitation, Russell received the pass late and had his shot blocked by Will Barton as time expired.
The Timberwolves will look to rebound (3-2) against the Orlando Magic on Monday night.
