The Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves began Wednesday night with the identical record (55-24), tied for first place in the Western Conference. With only three games remaining in the regular season, a victory would almost certainly give the winner inside placement for the No. 1 seed.
Furthermore, Minnesota possessed the tiebreaker against Denver following a 2-1 regular campaign series advantage, making a win even more important for the side in blue, red, and gold.
The Nuggets defeated the Timberwolves 116-107 spectacularly. Denver must only win over the Memphis Grizzlies (27-53) and the San Antonio Spurs (20-60) to claim first place in the Western Conference for the second consecutive season.
As per the NBA website, Nikola Jokic scored 41 points to lead the Denver Nuggets over Minnesota. Into sole ownership of first place in the close Western Conference playoff race, defeating the Timberwolves 116-107 on Wednesday night.
Jokic scored 16 of 20 shots when facing the NBA’s finest defense, with Rudy Gobert guarding him for most of the game. Jamal Murray contributed 20 points in 27 minutes, while Michael Porter Jr. contributed 18. Anthony Edwards led Minnesota with 25 points but was ineffective in the final quarter as Denver pulled away. Mike Conley had 19 points for the Wolves.
Also Read: “Best Duo in the League”: Bogdan Bogdanovic Hails Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray Tandem
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Nikola Jokic Is Leading the Denver Nuggets From the Front
Jokic took control in the third quarter and targeted Gobert on his own and post-ups. Minnesota struggled to keep the game close until the midway mark of the fourth quarter when Denver took a 10-point advantage, and chaos began. First, Braun utterly posterized Gobert during the transition.
Then, he executed another spectacular dunk off an overhead pass from Michael Porter Jr. Watson intercepted his sixth shot of the game, a Naz Reid three-pointer, before slamming home another spectacular dunk on the opposite end. It was an incredible minute-long stretch in which the freshmen put the match out of the Wolves’ reach.
The reigning NBA champion Nuggets have a Western Conference-best home record of 33-8. Denver and Minnesota shared their season series 2–2, and the Nuggets have to finish atop of the Thunder and the Wolves. Last year, the Nuggets used their top seed to go 10-1 at home in the playoffs, helping them win their first NBA title.
