The Denver Nuggets enjoyed a two-day break after working overtime to posting back-to-back victories earlier this week.
Now Denver will turn its attention to another Western Conference powerhouse, the Minnesota Timberwolves, when the teams tip off Friday night at Minneapolis.
The Nuggets’ OT wins both came on the road — 127-125 against the Toronto Raptors on Monday and 144-139 against the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday.
“Obviously there’s still a lot we can clean up, but I’m proud of our guys for finding a way in back-to-back nights,” Denver coach Michael Malone said. “(It was a result of the group) staying together, staying with it, believing in themselves and finding a way to get a win in overtime.
“I just hope we don’t go to overtime every game the rest of the season.”
Recent history suggests that the Nuggets could be in store for another close game when they take on the Timberwolves.
The Friday game is a rematch of last season’s Western Conference semifinals, which the Timberwolves won in seven games. Minnesota won the first two games, lost the next three and won the final two to advance to the Western finals.
Both teams made notable offseason roster moves. The Timberwolves traded longtime fan favorite Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks in a deal that brought Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo to Minnesota. The Nuggets let Kentavious Caldwell-Pope depart via free agency and brought in veteran Russell Westbrook to add leadership on and off the court.
Amid the new faces, both teams maintain the same goal as last season. They both hope to finish near the top of the conference and make deep playoff runs, meaning another postseason series matchup is possible.
Nikola Jokic leads the Nuggets, averaging a triple-double (31.5 points, 12.3 rebounds and 9.3 assists) through the first four games. Jamal Murray is second in scoring with 18.8 and Aaron Gordon is third with 15.5.
“What more can you say about Nikola Jokic?” Malone said after his team’s latest win against Brooklyn. “I know it’s only four games, but what that guy does — 29 (points), 18 (rebounds) and 16 (assists) — he makes it look easy.”
The same could be said for Anthony Edwards, who leads the Timberwolves with an average of 30 points to go along with 6.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists. Edwards is shooting 41.5 percent from 3-point range, a noticeable jump from last season, when he shot 35.7 percent.
Randle is next with 23.3 points to go with 7.5 rebounds. Naz Reid is averaging 13.8 points and 7.5 rebounds, while Rudy Gobert is close to averaging a double-double with 9.5 points and a team-high 11.3 boards.
Minnesota is looking to bounce back from a 120-114 loss against the visiting Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night.
Edwards said he and his teammates needed to focus more on defense when they play the Nuggets and other opponents.
“They scored a lot in transition,” Edwards said of Dallas. “Just transition defense and rebounding, and we’ll be OK. I feel like we can beat anybody. If we can get back in transition and we rebound, and if I rebound, we’ll be good.”
–Field Level Media
