The Nuggets' offense looked lifeless until someone unexpected stepped up

DENVER — The Nuggets were laying brick after brick for the better part of three quarters Thursday. Their playoff hopes crumbled a little bit with each of them. In a game that they had to have against the division-rival Minnesota Timberwolves to keep pace in the Western Conference playoff race, Denver’s offense went uncharacteristically cold.

Then Devin Harris stepped in to provide a spark.

The veteran guard, who Denver acquired in February at the NBA trade deadline, drilled a trio of three-pointers in a 1-minute, 21-second span. Those shots helped the Nuggets turn a four-point deficit into a seven-point lead as they hung on to beat the Timberwolves 100-96 for their fourth-straight win.

“All the shots that I took tonight felt great from this morning until the game tonight,” Harris said. “It was just one of those zones that you get into where you let it fly and just watch the beauty of it.”

In a game where Nikola Jokic couldn’t hit water if he fell out of a boat, Harris and Jamal Murray carried the load offensively. Harris connected on 5-9 shots from behind the three-point line on his way to season-high 20 points while Murray scored 22 points on 15 shots.

Murray once again came up big in the fourth quarter when he got Karl-Anthony Towns to bite on a step-back move with the shot clock winding down. Towns was whistled for his sixth foul on the play. He went to the bench then watched Murray sink two free throws that put Denver ahead for good.

“These last three games, it’s kind of came down to the fourth quarter,” Harris said. “It wasn’t always pretty, but it was one of those grind-it-out wins for us.”

Harris had a good thing going in Dallas before he signed off on a trade in February to send him to Denver. He spent nearly nine seasons of his career with the Mavericks across two separate stints. He owns a home in the area where he lived with his wife and two daughters until the trade. Harris realized spending a couple months away from them wouldn’t be easy, but he was aware that at his age there might not be many more chances to play for a team making a playoff push.

“I’m 35,” Harris said. “I’m not getting any younger.”

The Mavericks were headed toward the lottery, and the Nuggets were trying desperately to snap a four-season playoff drought. Harris knew which team he wanted to be a part of, even if it meant spending time away from his girls.

Harris didn’t even bother renting an apartment after the trade. He got a room at the Four Seasons where he’s stayed ever since. It’s an odd arrangement — but one that’s worth it because it allows him to play in games that matter.

“To play meaningful basketball this time of the year is why we train so hard and what we want to get to and be a part of,” Harris said. “Every year is special. Playing for this organization and having this sort of impact this late in the season is great for me.”

The Nuggets beat the Timberwolves despite shooting just 39.3 percent from the floor. Denver and Minnesota now share identical 44-35 records, but Minnesota owns the eight seed ahead of Denver because of the head-to-head tiebreaker. There are still no guarantees the Nuggets make the playoffs even after rattling off four wins in a row. Thursday’s game brought them one step closer, though.

Denver won the biggest game of the Michael Malone era using an unlikely formula: Stingy defense and a throwback performance from a grizzled guard.

“I saw a former All-Star,” said Murray when asked about Harris catching fire in the third quarter. “Me and him both had it going. He was just playing, making the most of his opportunities. He’s playing free.”