Minnesota Timberwolves: Wolves lose second straight, fall to Nuggets

The Minnesota Timberwolves lost their second consecutive game with a close loss to the divisional rival Denver Nuggets on Wednesday night.

The new-look Minnesota Timberwolves had a clunker on Sunday against the Memphis Grizzlies, but a bad loss in a matinee isn’t all that unusual.

On Wednesday, the Wolves had a chance to right the ship against a good Denver Nuggets team — the same Nuggets team that split four games with the Wolves last year, including two overtime affairs, and lost to Minnesota in Game No. 82 with a playoff spot on the line.

It was yet another competitive game, with the Wolves’ six-point halftime lead standing as the largest for either team to that point, and Minnesota ultimately only falling by one possession.

But the Nuggets came out strong after halftime, building a 13-point lead that stood until the Wolves’ bench went on a 12-0 run early in the final frame to make a game of things.

Karl-Anthony Towns led the Wolves in scoring with 22 points on on 7-of-14 shooting. Derrick Rose had 20 points off the bench on 11 shots and Dario Saric came off the bench for 12 points and seven rebounds.

Towns only played 28 minutes due to early foul trouble once again. Gorgui Dieng played 20 minutes, his highest minutes total since opening night in San Antonio, but shot 0-of-4 from the floor and was scoreless with seven rebounds and four assists.

At the end of the day, the Wolves’ starters didn’t play with the same urgency as the Nuggets brought to the table, and especially not in that third quarter. Now, they’ve fallen into an 0-and-1 hole in the season series against a strong divisional opponent. Not ideal.

Highlight of the Night

Player of the Game

Paul Millsap: 25 points (11-13 FG, 2-2 3P, 1-2 FT), 5 rebounds, 5 steals, one block

Paul Millsap was the best all-around player on the floor on Wednesday night, despite ending up on a nasty poster in the above clip.

He was ultra-efficient, reaching 25 points on just 13 field goal attempts. He also grabbed five steals and five rebounds and was active on both ends of the floor.

Notable Timberwolves Box Score Lines

• Karl-Anthony Towns: 22 points (7-14 FG, 1-5 3P, 7-9 FT), 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 6 turnovers
• Derrick Rose: 20 points (6-11 FG, 2-6 3P, 6-6 FT), 4 rebounds, 4 assists, one steal
• Robert Covington: 16 points (6-12 FG, 4-9 3P, 0-1 FT), 4 rebounds, 2 steals
• Dario Saric: 12 points (4-9 FG, 1-4 3P, 3-3 FT), 7 rebounds, 3 assists, one steal
• Andrew Wiggins: 13 points (6-15 FG, 1-5 3P), 5 rebounds, 2 assists

Towns was solid, although only playing 28 minutes was a tough thing for the Wolves to overcome. Rose was great once again, and Covington and Saric were their typically solid selves.

Wiggins followed up a couple of good all-around games with a bad one, scoring 13 points on 15 shots and not contributing much in other ways.

What’s Next?

The Timberwolves head east for a quick, one-game road trip. They’ll play against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center at 11 a.m. on Friday before heading back home to turn around and play on Saturday night.