Anthony Edwards scored 29 points, Julius Randle added 25 and the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Denver Nuggets 115-95 on Wednesday for their season-high sixth win in a row.
Jaden McDaniels contributed 16 points, Rudy Gobert had 11 points and 10 rebounds and Donte DiVincenzo added 10 points for Minnesota, which has beaten Denver five straight dating back to the 2024 playoffs.
Nikola Jokic had 34 points and eight rebounds, Russell Westbrook scored 19 points, Jamal Murray finished with 12 points and eight assists and Michael Porter Jr. logged 10 points and nine boards for the Nuggets.
Denver struggled from deep, making just 7 of 30 shots (23.3 percent) and fell into a tie with the Memphis Grizzlies for second place in the Western Conference, a half-game ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Minnesota used a smothering defense to take a 57-48 lead at intermission. The Nuggets shot 42.6 percent in the first half despite Jokic and Westbrook combining to go 17-for-25 from the field. Murray missed all seven of his shots before the break, and Porter and Christian Braun were a combined 2-for-9.
Mike Conley opened the third quarter with a 3-pointer to give the Timberwolves a 12-point lead, but Denver responded with seven straight points.
Randle scored off the glass, Edwards made a 3-pointer and McDaniels made two corner treys to push the lead to 73-61.
Edwards was fouled on a driving layup but missed the free throw late in the third. Minnesota got the rebound and turned it into a Randle layup to push the lead to 89-73, and the Timberwolves took a 14-point advantage into the fourth.
Randle hit the first two baskets of the final period to push the lead to 93-75. Porter made two free throws, but Naz Reid hit a layup and Randle drained a 3-pointer from the top of the arc to make it 98-77.
Jokic converted a three-point play, but Reid hit a corner 3-pointer, McDaniels made a floater in the lane and Gobert dunked to give the Timberwolves a 105-82 lead with 7:02 to go.
Edwards’ fifth 3-pointer and two free throws to make it a 26-point lead, and Minnesota closed it out.
