It took everything the Timberwolves had, and perhaps a little help from Russell Westbrook. But you don’t beat the Nuggets, in double-OT, in their gym without some good fortune.
And a willingness to scrap as if it’s Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
Minnesota did all that and more in squeaking out a 140-139 2OT win, overcoming Nikola Jokic’s 61-point, triple-double eruption along the way.
“I feel terrible. I feel absolutely awful. My body is in shock,” said Timberwolves forward Julius Randle, who played over 49 minutes and recorded 26 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, via Chris Hines of the Star Tribune.
Randle is 30 years old. Timberwolves point guard Mike Conley is 37. He played 36 minutes.
”I’m tired, I’m not gonna lie,” Conley said, mentioning Denver’s altitude as a factor.
Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards played 50 minutes, finishing with 34 points. This from a man who only had 10 at half. Edwards and Nickeil Alexander-Walker helped save the day — as Alexander-Walker was fouled by Westbrook on a corner 3 at the final buzzer. The refs put .01 seconds back in the clock, and Alexander-Walker made two free throws, missing the third on purpose, to lift the Timberwolves to the win.
Moments before that, Westbrook missed a layup with time winding down. All he really had to do was dribble out the clock, or at least try, as the Nuggets held a one-point lead.
Instead, the Timberwolves got the basketball miracle they needed for a season sweep of Denver.
Meanwhile, Jokic became the second player in NBA history to lose with a 50-point triple-double, joining Wilt Chamberlain (1963).
He was asked if he intended to speak to Westbrook about the late-game mistakes.
“Why? It happened. It’s basketball. I’m pretty sure he didn’t want to foul. It happens,” he said.
Minnesota (44-32) moved into a tie with fading Memphis for sixth place in the Western Conference standings. Denver (47-29) sits in third but will drop to fourth if the Lakers beat Golden State on Thursday night.
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