Denver Nuggets Win Thriller Over Wolves in OT, 111-108

The Denver Nuggets pulled off a thrilling victory on Friday night at the Pepsi Center as they defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves by a score of 111-108 in overtime.

It took 5 periods, but the Denver Nuggets pulled off a decisive win over their Northwest Division rivals in a hard fought contest. Danilo Gallinari led the Nuggets on Friday with 23 points and 7 rebounds in 42 minutes, while also going 3 of 5 from beyond the arc. Jameer Nelson came off the bench to help the Denver Nuggets with 20 points in 38 minutes, and Nikola Jokic added 19 points in 25 minutes in a reserve role.

Friday’s win over the Timberwolves was a costly victory for the Denver Nuggets, as rookie point guard Emmanuel Mudiay left the game injured his right ankle and did not return. Mudiay has struggled of late, and only score 2 points tonight before leaving the contest.

For the Minnesota Timberwolves, rookie center Karl-Anthony Towns led the way with 14 points, 9 rebounds, 2 steals and 3 blocks. Kevin Martin and Andrew Wiggins led Minnesota in scoring with 22 points a piece, while Ricky Rubio added 13 points and 7 assists.

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In a game that was very much a back and forth affair, the Denver Nuggets held a late lead in the fourth quarter of Friday’s contest over the Timberwolves. With 23 seconds left and possessing a one point lead, Andrew Wiggins was fouled by Will Barton. Wiggins made one of his two free throws, tying the game. With the final possession, the Denver Nuggets milked the clock and elected for Jameer Nelson to take the final shot: a long three-pointer that missed, sending the game to overtime.

In the extra period, the Denver Nuggets and the Minnesota Timberwolves went tit for tat for the first three and half minutes, with the game knotted at 104 with 1:36 to go. A huge three-pointer by Danilo Gallinari with 1:24 left in overtime gave the Denver Nuggets a 107-104 lead; a lead that they would not relinquish. Karl-Anthony Towns would make a 7 foot jumpshot with 1:13 left to reduce the Wolves deficit to 1 point, but the Denver Nuggets held strong, with Danilo Gallinari shooting a long two point shot with 6 seconds left that served as the dagger, giving the Nuggets a 109-106 lead.

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Considering that the Timberwolves held a 15 point lead over the Denver Nuggets at half-time, it’s a testament to the tenacity of Mike Malone’s team that they overcame injuries to their players and rallied from such a large deficit to come out with a win. Given the disappointing nature of the nascent season, Friday’s victory of the Minnesota Timberwolves is a huge morale boost for the Denver Nuggets.

The Minnesota Timberwolves are one of the better rebounding teams in the NBA, and the Denver Nuggets out-rebounded them tonight by a 50-43 margin. The Nuggets also shot nearly forty percent from beyond the arc — one of their keys to this emotional victory. With team struggling with injuries before and during this game, Denver dug deep and rallied from almost an insurmountable deficit.

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The Denver Nuggets will have a little time to savor this huge win, as they rest for the next two days before hosting the Houston Rockets at the Pepsi Center on Monday. As the Nuggets are currently only two games out of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference, which is coincidentally held by the Houston Rockets, Monday’s game brings a renewed sense of importance for a club that has had an up and down season thus far. Hopefully the Denver Nuggets can continue to build off the momentum that Friday’s emotional victory almost certainly brings. This one is not one that we will soon forget!

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