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 Forward Danilo Gallinari scored a game-high 20 points as Denver
snapped a six-game losing streak and won for the first time since
Dec. 23.
Leading by one point at the end of the third quarter, Denver managed
just 12 points in the fourth but limited Minnesota to nine points on
2-of-20 shooting.
"There's no such thing as an ugly win," Nuggets coach Michael Malone
said. "Both teams needed this one. I'm just glad we were able to
pull it out and execute down the stretch to get the win."
The loss was Minnesota fourth in a row and eighth in its last nine
games.
"It's been the story of our season," Wolves interim coach Sam
Mitchell said. "We hold a team to (35) percent (shooting)? It's hard
to play better defense than that. To hold a team to 78 points, 12 in
the fourth quarter? But our guys our young and they haven't
developed that scorers mentality."
Trailing by two, Minnesota had a chance to tie the game late, but
guard Andrew Wiggins missed an open look from 14 feet out, then
missed wildly on a second opportunity. Forward Karl-Anthony Towns'
rebound gave Minnesota a third opportunity, but his shot was blocked
by Nuggets forward Darrell Arthur and went out of bounds off Towns.
Denver forward Will Barton sank both of his ensuing free throws to
make it a two-possession game.
Towns led the Timberwolves 14 points and 14 rebounds, and Wiggins
added 11 points on just 4-of-14 shooting from the floor.
Gallinari had 10 points during the third quarter, including a
3-pointer to cap a 15-4 run that gave the Nuggets their first lead
since early in the second quarter.
"It always feels good when you get a win, no matter what," Gallinari
said. "I thought tonight the focus was on defense and we did a great
job. We've got to play that kind of defense every game."
Minnesota led by as many as 10 points early in the third quarter
behind an 8-2 surge out of the locker room.
Guard Shabazz Muhammad drilled a 19-foot jumper seconds into the
fourth to give the Wolves their final lead of the night at 67-66 but
followed with a stretch of more than seven minutes until their next
field goal.
Despite the struggles offensively, Towns' lay-in with 4:35 remaining
pulled Minnesota to within three points.
Denver went more than five minutes without scoring a point down the
stretch and did not make a field goal in the final 7:20 of
regulation.
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Gallinari made a pair of free throws with 5:37 to play and Denver
didn't score again until Barton's two late makes from the charity
stripe. Denver improved to 9-4 this season when Gallinari reaches 20
points.
Nuggets center Jusef Nurkic, still working his way back from a knee
injury, had 15 points and 10 rebounds in 22 minutes off the bench.
"I've not played in eight months," Nurkic said. "It's tough now
because we don't have practice and I need to try and find shape in
games."
Denver (13-23) stayed in the game in the first half thanks to its
accuracy from beyond the arc. The Nuggets trailed by four points
after the first quarter and by just two at the half despite shooting
36.6 percent from the floor. Denver connected on six of 10
3-pointers in the first half.
Minnesota (12-24) shot 50 percent from the floor in the first half
but attempted only four 3-pointers, connecting on two of them. For
the game, the Timberwolves hit 38.4 percent of their field-goal
attempts, including three of 11 from long distance.
"We put so much pressure on our defense with our inability to score
on a consistent basis," Mitchell said. "We just have a hard time
(scoring). We have to keep working, keep plugging away."
The Nuggets finished with a 46-40 edge on the glass and outscored
the Wolves 30-26 in the paint.
NOTES: Nuggets G Emmanuel Mudiay was a late scratch because of a
lingering ankle injury. Mudiay has missed the past month because of
the ailment sustained against the Timberwolves on Dec. 15. ...
Timberwolves C Nikola Pekovic was active for the first time this
season after recovering from surgery to his Achilles tendon in
April. Pekovic scored 12 points off the bench in almost 16 minutes
of action. ... Denver completes a stretch of four of five games on
the road against the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday. ... Minnesota
continues its four-game homestand the same night when it hosts the
Cleveland Cavaliers.
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