Nuggets fall to Timberwolves 112-104, lose just third game at Pepsi Center this year

Behind 25 points and 10 rebounds from Karl-Anthony Towns, the Minnesota Timberwolves came back from a 14-point third-quarter deficit to top the Denver Nuggets 112-104.

After Denver led by 14 midway through the third quarter, Minnesota roared back in the fourth behind Towns. The Wolves’ big man had Minnesota’s first 11 points of the period. Minnesota outscored Denver 19-11 to start the fourth quarter and led by seven with under four minutes remaining.

The Nuggets got to within two points with two minutes remaining but only scored two field goals in the game’s last three minutes and 11 seconds, one of which came on a Jamal Murray consolation bucket. Murray finished with a game-high 30 points on 10-17 shooting. He went 5-6 from distance.

Nikola Jokic returned to the Nuggets’ starting lineup for the first time since he missed seven games with a sprained ankle. He came off the bench in Denver’s past two matchups but started alongside Mason Plumlee tonight.

It was an odd night for Jokic. He scored 22 points on 6-12 shooting but turned the ball over 10 times.

“I thought bad passes some of them, let’s be honest, let’s not sugarcoat it. 10 turnovers is 10 turnovers and some of them were just bad passes, some of them were shots I thought he could have shot the ball,” Malone said. “I thought as a team tonight we turned down a lot of open shots. I don’t know why. We haven’t been that team.”

“If you really care about winning, you’ll take it upon yourself to say ‘I have to value the basketball,'” Malone said.

Denver is now 11-3 at Pepsi Center this year.

The Nuggets take on the Trail Blazers in Portland on Friday and visit Golden State on a back-to-back Saturday.