A road win that matters
Some wins mean more than a W in the column. This one for the Minnesota Timberwolves in Denver is exactly that.
A 117-108 win on the Denver Nuggets’ floor. Controlled performance. A message sent. And, crucially, fourth place claimed in the West.
Minnesota closed the road trip unbeaten and sit at 38-23. In a conference where two games separate third from sixth, every night already feels like playoff basketball.
Anthony Edwards, cool operator
Edwards didn’t need 40 to matter. 21 points, clutch buckets down the stretch, and that three at 3:49 that iced Ball Arena.
He’s cleaner. More patient. He picks his spots.
And when Minnesota had to answer Denver’s runs, he put the lid on it.
Bones Hyland gets his revenge
There was a subplot to the night.
Facing his old team, Bones Hyland put up 18 points, 15 of them in the first half. Aggressive, inspired, loose.
Every made shot had a little extra bite.
Minnesota grabbed the lead early, up 58-50 at the break. Then a Donte DiVincenzo three stretched it to 83-69. Denver tried to rally late in the third, but the Wolves swung right back.
104-92 with seven minutes to play. Cold-blooded control.
Jokic monstrous again — but isolated
Nikola Jokic poured everything in: 35 points, 13 rebounds, 9 assists — one pass shy of a triple-double. Same old ability to slow the game and punish every sloppy close-out.
Nikola Jokic 35 PTS, 13 REBS, 9 ASTS, 1 STL, 2 BLKS, 4/6 FT on 15/26 FG vs Timberwolves https://t.co/QWk9WLYsG6 pic.twitter.com/lcjTLFhnPL
— NBA Performances (@NBARewinds) March 2, 2026
Jamal Murray added 25, with a few bright moments — one thunderous dunk over Rudy Gobert that briefly woke the building.
But Denver’s depth is thin. Still without Aaron Gordon and Peyton Watson, their defensive balance looks fragile. The Nuggets have dropped four of six since the All-Star break.
In the fourth they never got closer than seven.
The West is a pressure cooker
Houston, Minnesota, Denver, the Lakers — it’s all neck-and-neck. Wins feel twice as valuable. A loss can shove you down two spots.
Chris Finch said it before the game: everyone’s watching the standings.
Minnesota just landed a big one. Beating Denver on their floor, after losing to them three times this season, isn’t trivial.
The Wolves aren’t just making noise anymore.
They’re carving out space.
And in such a crowded conference, settling into the Top 4 now sends a clear message: they want home-court advantage. They play like a team that actually believes it.
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