After blowing a 21-point lead in the second half and losing to Atlanta on Monday, Minnesota (2-2) had the foot on the gas from start to finish Wednesday in a 110-89 win over the defending champion Denver Nuggets (4-1).
The Timberwolves jumped out to an 18-4 lead and led by 19 at the half, increasing the lead to 22 points in the third quarter and never allowing Denver any closer than 13 points the rest of the game. In fact, they stretched the lead back to 21 points when both teams pulled starters with just over five minutes left in the game.
It was an emphatic response after Monday’s meltdown in Atlanta and it supported claims from Denver players who agreed that last season’s 4-1 series victory over Minnesota in the 2022-23 playoffs was their most difficult challenge en route to winning the NBA championship.
Key Timberwolves stats:
- Anthony Edwards: 24 points on 8-of-14 shooting
- Karl-Anthony Towns: 21 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals
- Rudy Gobert: 4 points, 12 rebounds, 2 blocks
- Mike Conley: 17 points, 7 assists
- Jaden McDaniels: 6 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks
- Naz Reid: 16 points, 5 rebounds in 19 minutes
Key Nuggets stats:
- Nikola Jokic: 25 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 5 turnovers
- Jamal Murray: 14 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 5-of-16 shooting
- Michael Porter Jr.: 5 points on 2-of-11 shooting
Minnesota lost 18 games last season when leading by double-digits and according to a stat replayed by Timberwolves analyst Jim Petersen during the game, the Timberwolves have lost 28 games since 2021 when leading by at least 10 points in the second half of games.
Denver had only trailed for a total of 4 minutes, 33 seconds in four dominant wins before facing Minnesota on Wednesday night.
The dominant win was Minnesota’s first complete game of the season. They struggled to shoot in a close loss to Toronto in the season opener and they played down to a depleted Miami team for three quarters before pulling away for an easy win in the fourth quarter. Then they played lights out in the first half against Atlanta before getting smoked in an embarrassing second half.
The Timberwolves might also be establishing a defensive identity. Last season, Minnesota held four opponents under 100 points and so far this season they’ve held three of four opponents under 100 points. Toronto scored 97, Miami finished with 90 points and Denver was held to 89. The only blip was the 127-point disaster in Atlanta.
Up next: Timberwolves vs. Utah Jazz, Saturday at 7 p.m. CT.
