Nikola Jokic scored 35 points and grabbed 16 rebounds. Denver Nuggets survived a Minnesota Timberwolves come back to win 115-112 in the NBA.
The Timberwolves erased an 18-point deficit in a span of 12 minutes to lead 84-82 in the third quarter.
Denver regained the lead in the fourth, before Anthony Edwards missed a late chance to force overtime when his three-point shot attempt hit the rim.
“You have to put teams away,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said.
“That’s something we really need to get better at.”
Malone said a late tactical change limited the impact of Timberwolves guard Edwards, who failed to add to his 30-point total in the fourth quarter.
“We threw an extra body at him,” he said. “A guy trying to guard Anthony Edwards is a challenge for anyone in the NBA, so we started throwing bodies at him to get the ball out of his hands.”
The victory at Target Center in Minneapolis moved NBA champion Denver into second place in the Western Conference behind Oklahoma City Thunder.
Kyrie Irving scored 28 points and Luka Doncic recorded his 18th triple double of the season – 18 points, 16 assists and 10 rebounds – while the Dallas Mavericks won 113-107 at rival Texas San Antonio Spurs.
Zion WilliamsonThe 28 points helped the New Orleans Pelicans to a 104-91 victory in Brooklyn nets.
THE Magic of Orlando won four straight with a 112-92 home win over the Charlotte Frelons.
Green Jalen scored 42 points and Amen Thompson 25 like the Houston Rockets won 137-114 in Wizards of Washington.
