Top 5 Timberwolves Games: Best individual performances of 2017-18

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MINNEAPOLIS, MN – DECEMBER 27: Jimmy Butler #23. Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Jordan Johnson/NBAE via Getty Images)

Jimmy Butler. 2. player. 86. 39 points (10-20 FG, 3-6 3P, 16-18 FT), 5 assists, 4 rebounds, one steal. 128-125 OT win over Nuggets. December 27

Coming off of a Christmas Day victory over the Lakers that had given the Wolves their fifth straight victory, Jimmy Butler and Co. were looking to improve to 22-13 on the season and 2-0 against divisional rival Denver.

The Wolves jumped out to a 35-23 lead after the first quarter, led by 13 point at halftime, and appeared to be about to cruise to an easy win. But a horrible third quarter and a miserable start to the final frame meant that things were going to come down the wire.

With the Wolves clinging to a one point lead with only 13 seconds left, Jeff Teague suffered what appeared to be a serious knee injury in a scramble for a loose ball. (Teague ended up missing a handful of games with a knee sprain, but in the moment it looked as though it could have been a season-ender.)

Then, Taj Gibson made one of two free throws, leaving the door open for the Nuggets to tie it up and send it to overtime. But then, it was Jimmy G. Buckets time.

Butler scored 12 of the Wolves’ 14 points in overtime and assisted on the other basket, a mid-range jumper from Jamal Crawford that gave Minnesota a lead they wouldn’t relinquish with 17 seconds left in the extra period.

Butler was unstoppable, and this is perhaps the clearest example from the Wolves season that includes a superstar simply willing his squad to victory. That’s exactly what Butler did on this night, and the Wolves followed the win by holding their next eight opponents under 100 points, ultimately winning 12 of 15 games during a stretch spanning mid-December into early January.