NBA: Wolves top Nuggets to pull into tie for first in West

Anthony Edwards had 25 points, Rudy Gobert finished with 21 points and 11 rebounds, and the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Denver Nuggets 111-98 on Friday night.

Mike Conley scored 23 points and Jaden McDaniels added 17 points for Minnesota. The Timberwolves (51-22) have won four in a row despite Karl-Anthony Towns being out after surgery on his left knee.

Nikola Jokic had 32 points and 10 rebounds, Aaron Gordon and Michael Porter Jr. scored 14 each, Reggie Jackson finished with 12 points and 10 assists and DeAndre Jordan contributed 11 points for Denver (51-23).

The Nuggets, who have lost two in a row at home for the first time this season, fell to third in the Western Conference, a half-game behind Minnesota and the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Nuggets guard Jamal Murray missed his fourth straight game with right knee inflammation and has missed 20 games this season. Denver coach Michael Malone said before the game Murray is “iffy” for Sunday’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers but expects his point guard to return before the end of the regular season.

The Nuggets are 11-9 with Murray out of the lineup.

The score was tied at 20 late in the first quarter but Minnesota took control after that. McDaniels started it with two straight buckets and Gobert had a layup and a three-point play to help the Timberwolves take a 33-26 lead after the first 12 minutes.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker hit two from beyond the arc to highlight a 10-2 run to start the second quarter. Denver cut the deficit to 50-37 on Jokic’s floating jumper midway through the period but the Timberwolves closed the second strong to take a 62-43 lead into halftime.

Conley got hot early in the third quarter, hitting a trio of 3-pointers and a layup, to extend the lead to 77-52. The lead grew to 26 points before the Nuggets scored eight straight to get within 81-63. Denver committed a couple of turnovers and went into the fourth quarter down 87-64.

The Nuggets got within 11 points late in the fourth but failed to get any closer.

–Field Level Media/ Reuters