The Denver Nuggets battled back from a double-digit deficit against the Minnesota Timberwolves but ultimately fell short Wednesday. Minnesota eked past Denver 128-125 in overtime thanks to Jimmy Butler’s late-game heroics. Here are five observations from a hard-fought game.
1. The Nuggets could’ve quit, but they didn’t
Not a lot was working in the Nuggets’ favor early in the game. They were on the second night of a back to back and looked sluggish. Their rotations were slow. They were getting worked on the boards. To make matters worse, the Timberwolves came out of the gates hot, connecting on their first five three-pointers.
The Nuggets got down by as many as 19 points. They could’ve packed it in. They didn’t.
Jamal Murray kept Denver afloat when nobody else had it going, then Will Barton and Trey Lyles helped their team narrow the gap with a furious rally in the second half.
Denver battled all the way back. It forced overtime and had its chances to win in the extra five-minute period before ultimately falling short. The result didn’t go Denver’s way, but the want was there. That’s significant for a club that struggled to give consistent effort earlier in the season.
“Great effort,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said on Altitude TV’s post-game broadcast. “We were down 19 points in the second half, second night of a back to back. We very easily could have folded and just rolled over. I love the fact that our guys never did that.”
2. Jimmy Butler wouldn’t let Minnesota lose
Jimmy Butler might be a superhero. How else can you explain somebody scoring 12 overtime points when their minutes are well into the 40s? The Timberwolves were without Karl-Anthony Towns, who fouled out, and Jeff Teague, whose leg got rolled up on, in the extra period. It didn’t matter because Butler was spectacular.
He made 2-3 field goals, including a tricky pull-up three, and sunk 7-9 free throws in overtime.
His final line — 39 points (10-20 FG, 16-18 FT), four rebounds, five assists — was spectacular. Don’t be surprised if you hear his name mentioned in the MVP discussion this week.
3. Jamal Murray does a little bit of everything
The Nuggets trailed the Timberwolves by 13 at halftime, and it could’ve been significantly worse if not for Jamal Murray. The 20-year-old had it going in the first half when few of his teammates did. He scored 13 points on 12 shots before the break, generating offense at a time when Denver needed someone to step up.
Murray wound up playing a whopping 46 minutes. He scored 21 points, grabbed seven rebounds and handed out a season-high eight assists.
Murray is maturing before our eyes in December. He didn’t play his most efficient game (5-12 FG), but he still made his presence felt.
4. Will Barton bounces back
Will Barton was stuck in a rut. In the six games going into Wednesday’s matchup against Minnesota, he made 14 of 51 shots. Barton was due for a break-out game. He got one against the Timberwolves. Denver’s ultra-confident sixth man scored 28 points (10-17 FG) to go along with five assists.
Barton was instrumental in helping Denver chip away Minnesota’s 19-point lead. He scored 20 points in the second half, hitting a number of difficult shots.
It was too bad his big game came in a losing effort.
5. Trey Lyles sparks Denver once again
Barton had a big second half. So did Trey Lyles. The 22-year-old who’s butted his way into the rotation since the Paul Millsap injury helped Denver go on a 22-6 second-half run that stretched across the third and fourth quarters.
Lyles’ sizzling three-point shooting ways continued as he connected on 3-4 long balls. He was also a beast on the boards, pulling down 10 rebounds.
Lyles has a smooth offensive game. He’s not afraid to do dirty work either. In addition to mucking it up in the rebounding department, he took two charges in the second half. He’s been fantastic since he started receiving consistent minutes in mid-November. You get the feeling that he’s going to be a big part of whatever the Nuggets do going forward.
