Behind strong effort from Jusuf Nurkic, Denver Nuggets win low scoring affair vs. Minnesota Timberwolves

 

The losing streak is over for the Denver Nuggets as they defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 78-74 tonight at the Target Center in Downtown Minneapolis. With the victory Denver snaps a six game losing streak and improves to 13-23 on the season. Additionally the Nuggets broke a losing streak of 30 games (dating back to Jan. 28, 2015) in which they did not score 100 points. It was an ugly victory and one the Nuggets desperately needed.

The Rundown

It was a back and forth affair in a first half that featured 11 ties and 12 lead changes as the Timberwolves took 44-42 lead into halftime. It seemed like Minnesota was about to blow the game open when the lead reached 10, midway through the third quarter. At that point, Denver was struggling to get anything going on the offensive end of the floor – especially in the paint. However the momentum swung in the Nuggets favor when Head Coach Michael Malone put Jusuf Nurkic and his bench mates into the game.

In the third quarter Nurkic’s energy, post presence and defensive effort breathed life into a lifeless squad as the Nuggets would go on a 20-9 run to close out the third quarter to take 66-65 lead. Danilo Gallinari scored 13 points while Nurkic added 5 points in the frame.

The fourth quarter was an ugly one as both teams combined for a mere 21 points after neither team hit a field goal in the games final 4:35 of action. Both teams had their chances but neither could find any offensive rhythm as they exchanged turnovers and missed shots down the stretch. Andrew Wiggins missed two potential game tying shots before the ball went out of bounds after Darrell Arthur blocked Karl-Anthony Towns with :08 seconds to play. Denver inbounded the ball to Will Barton who was fouled by Minnesota before knocking down both of his free-throws to give the Nuggets a hard fought 78-74 victory.

Stars of the Game

1.) Jusuf Nurkic – He’s back. Nurkic made his presence known tonight in Minneapolis as he finished with 15 points, 10 rebounds, 5 blocks and 2 assists. Without question he was the difference in the game for Denver.

2.) Danilo Gallinari – I’m still deciding whether or not I like the Italian’s haircut, but I absolutely liked his effort on both ends of the floor tonight. Gallo hit down some big shots in the second half, especially in the third quarter. He finished the game with 20 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and logged a team high 35 minutes.

3.) Darrell Arthur – The former Kansas Jayhawk more likely preserved the victory when he blocked Karl-Anthony Towns game-tying attempt with :08 seconds to play (video shown below). Arthur also hit a huge three during the Nuggets run in the third quarter. Darrell finished the game with 7 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 blocks. It was another quiet but steady game from the seventh year veteran.

Final Shots

A key trait amongst successful teams is the ability to win ugly; just ask the Cleveland Cavaliers about that. For whatever reason Denver has lacked the necessary ingredients for winning ugly, low-scoring games. Tonight was the first time in a long time the Nuggets managed to come out victorious in a game they didn’t win with offense. As the season goes on Denver will need to win more and more of these kinds of games.

Gallinari and Nurkic were the only Nuggets players to post double-digit point totals. Offense was hard to come by tonight. Up until Nurkic reentered the game in the third quarter, Denver seemed incapable of making a shot from inside the paint. There was definitely lots of things to not like about the Nuggets performance tonight but they stayed together, overcome a double-digit deficit and found a way to win.

What’s Next

The Nuggets will head down south to Memphis where they will face the Grizzles on Friday night. Tipoff is set for 6:00 p.m. MT. Memphis will enter the game at 19-18 and sitting in sixth place in the Western Conference. This will be the first meeting between the two teams this season.