Timberwolves take down Nuggets aggressively, pulling away for 133-104 victory

Chris Hine, The Minnesota Star Tribune on Jan 25, 2025

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MINNEAPOLIS — The Timberwolves picked a good time to play their best game of the season.

The Wolves took down the rival Denver Nuggets 133-104 as seven players finished the game in double figures with Anthony Edwards leading the way with 34 points and nine assists. Edwards passed Karl-Anthony Towns as the franchise leader in three-point baskets made with three 3s in the game.

Against a Denver team that had its full complement of rotation players, the Wolves shot 55.8% as everyone got involved in good ball movement and good shot selection. The Wolves' scoring total was their second-best of the season, behind the 135 they scored against the Chicago Bulls in early November.

Julius Randle had 21 points, seven rebounds and seven assists while Rudy Gobert, who had said he needed to be better rebounding, had 14 points, 14 rebounds and five assists. The Wolves were able to pull their starters with 4 minutes, 27 seconds to play to a standing ovation from the Target Center crowd. Jamal Murray had 25 for Denver while Nikola Jokic had 20 points, 11 assists and three rebounds.

Forty in the first

The Wolves opened with a 15-9 run on the strength of seven early points from Gobert and six from Randle, as he attempted to take advantage of a matchup in the post with Russell Westbrook. This was the precursor to a strong opening offensive quarter for the Wolves, who led 40-31 after one. Everyone got in on the ball movement. Gobert had four assists, as did Edwards. Rob Dillingham provided a scoring lift off the bench with seven points while Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Naz Reid had five apiece. The Wolves shot 69% in the first quarter, except they allowed Denver to stay within nine because the Nuggets shot 62%. The Wolves did force five Denver turnovers and committed only two themselves.

Wolves extend lead

After Denver cut into Minnesota’s lead with an 8-0 run, the starting lineup returned and pushed it to as many as 14, even as Edwards opened the day 3 for 9. The Wolves had one of their best offensive halves of the season, shooting 60%. McDaniels was 5 for 5 for 11 first-half points while Randle led the team with 14. Mike Conley didn’t take a shot in the first half, but he had a pair of steals. The Wolves’ lead could have been larger had they done a better job keeping Denver off the offensive glass. The Nuggets had 14 second-chance points in the second quarter. Jokic had 13 points in the first quarter but didn’t score in the second.

Edwards gets going

After getting off to a slow start shooting, Edwards turned it on in the third quarter. He hit a pair of 3s, one of them after Gobert kept a possession alive with two offensive rebounds. Edwards finished the quarter with 16 points, and the Wolves increased their lead to 22 after a 3 from Alexander-Walker. They went into the fourth up 109-91 and had seven players in double figures by the start of the fourth.

The Wolves cleaned up the glass in the second half and only allowed two second-chance points before garbage time.

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