Short-handed Timberwolves put up fight but fall to Nuggets

Anthony Edwards scored 30 points in a valiant Minnesota effort.

The Timberwolves had their backs against the wall before Tuesday night’s home game against the defending champion Denver Nuggets even tipped off.

They were on the second half of a back to back coming off Monday night's win at Utah. They were down bigs Naz Reid, who was out due to a head injury sustained during Monday's win over the Jazz, and Rudy Gobert, who's missed the last three games with a left rib strain. That's on top of them already being down Karl-Anthony Towns, who's recovering from meniscus surgery. 

Short-handed or not, the Timberwolves gave the Nuggets everything they had as they rallied back after trailing for most of the contest. Anthony Edwards had a look at a potential game-tying 3-pointer as time expired, but it didn't fall in a 115-112 Timberwolves loss at a rowdy Target Center in Minneapolis. 

The Timberwolves (47-22) trailed by as many as 18 points in the first half and went into the halftime break down 68-55 as they didn't have an answer for Nikola Jokic early without Gobert and Reid in the lineup. That left 6-foot-9 Kyle Anderson with the task of matching up against the 6-foot-11 Jokic for most of the night, but Anderson picked up three early fouls, and Jokic went to work in the first half. 

Jokic poured in 22 of his game-high 35 points in the first half as he led the charge for the Nuggets (48-21). He also had 16 rebounds and a pair of assists. 

With Minnesota short-handed, weary and trailing by double digits after a half, it seemed like too tall a task to mount a comeback against the defending champions. 

Not for a team with Anthony Edwards. 

Edwards exploded for 14 points in a third quarter in which Minnesota outscored Denver 29-17, making it a three-point game entering the final quarter of play. 

Edwards finished his night with 30 points, eight assists and eight rebounds. 

The Timberwolves even rallied to take a lead in the fourth after a couple timely buckets from Mike Conley. Luka Garza hit a free throw with 7 minutes, 10 seconds remaining in the contest that gave Minnesota a 93-89 advantage.

But then Michael Porter Jr. scored on three straight possessions, hitting a 3, throwing down a dunk and drilling another jumper as the Nuggets went back up 96-93.

"They got the momentum back and then we were chasing the game from there," Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said. 

Porter finished his night with 26 points, four rebounds and an assist. 

That lead grew to eight for the Nuggets, but the Timberwolves weren't done fighting. Jaden McDaniels, who had an extremely efficient night, scoring 26 points on 9-for-13 shooting, hit two crucial 3-pointers. The first came with 31 seconds remaining in the game to cut the Timberwolves' deficit in half at 109-106. 

"A really good silver lining for us is that (McDaniels) had a great game for us offensively," Finch said. "He's been struggling to find that kind of touch and rhythm. Shot the ball well, shot with confidence, made big ones. Kinda got us started offensively, too, by being aggressive downhill."

The second big 3 from McDaniels came with 5.1 ticks left on the clock and made it a 113-112 game, giving Minnesota once last chance to win or force overtime. 

Minnesota intentionally fouled Jamal Murray, who hit both of his free throws to make it a three-point game with four seconds remaining on the clock. 

Edwards raced up the court after receiving the inbounds pass and got a good look at a potential game-tying 3-pointer. It just didn't fall. 

The loss is a tough one in the Western Conference playoff picture. With the win, the Nuggets are now tied with the Oklahoma City Thunder for the top spot in the standings. The Timberwolves, meanwhile, are in third, a game back of both teams.

Final key stats

• Anthony Edwards: 30 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals 
• Jaden McDaniels: 26 points, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 steal 
• Mike Conley: 13 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal
• Kyle Anderson: 12 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 steal 
• Luka Garza: 11 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block
• Nikola Jokic: 35 points, 16 rebounds, 2 assists
• Michael Porter Jr.: 26 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist