Nikola Jokic, Nuggets Defeat Timberwolves with KAT, D'Angelo Russell Out

The Denver Nuggets ended a two-game skid with a 128-116 victory over the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves at Pepsi Center on Sunday evening.

The Timberwolves were without center Karl-Anthony Towns (left wrist fracture), point guard D'Angelo Russell (rest) and reserve guard Allen Crabbe (personal reasons).

The Nuggets, meanwhile, had their starting five healthy for the second consecutive game after previously not having the unit together since Jan. 6. They looked sloppy in a 113-101 loss to Oklahoma City on Friday night but put together a cohesive and strong performance against Minnesota.

As a team, the Nuggets outshot the Timberwolves from the field 58.9 percent to 44.1 percent, including a significant 76-52 advantage in the paint. That is where Towns' absence was felt most.

Denver improved to 39-18 and remained in second place behind the 43-12 Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference.

The Wolves continued to tumble, having lost 17 of their last 18 games dating back to Jan. 11.

Notable Performances

DEN F Paul Millsap: 25 points, 7 rebounds, 1 steal, 2 blocks

DEN C Nikola Jokic: 24 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks 

DEN G Jamal Murray: 19 points, 1 rebound, 6 assists, 1 steal

DEN G Gary Harris: 13 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals

MIN F Kelan Martin: 21 points, 4 rebounds, 1 block

MIN G Malik Beasley: 17 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block 

MIN G Jordan McLaughlin: 15 points, 4 rebounds, 10 assists, 1 steal

Nuggets Ride Paul Millsap's Season-High Performance

Millsap's team-leading three-point percentage (among players who have appeared in more than two games) is not an anomaly. 

The 35-year-old went a team-best 4-of-6 from deep against the Timberwolves:

More impressive was the four-time All-Star's first-half performance:

All in all, Millsap finished the night with a game-high 25 points. It marks his best single-game scoring outing of the year. His previous high was 23 points, which he accomplished on three separate occasions in the first half of the season.

Millsap's hot shooting complemented Jokic's dominance under the rim:

Denver will need Nuggets not named Jokic or Murray to show up like this in the postseason in order to truly contend among the West's best.

Head coach Michael Malone nodded at the notion that the Nuggets need more than Jokic while singling out Harris' two-way performance:

Where the Nuggets stand will be clarified next week with a Feb. 28 date at the third-place Los Angeles Clippers and a March 1 matchup with the reigning champion Toronto Raptors, who recently ripped off a 15-game winning streak and have won 17 of their last 18 games.

Timberwolves Dismiss Tanking Speculation With Effort in Loss

Minnesota will be without Towns for at least two weeks while he recuperates his fractured wrist. While the league's third-worst team could take that as a sign to pack it in for the remaining 27 games and preserve the franchise's centerpiece, that is reportedly not the mindset. 

"League sources told The Athletic that Towns desperately wants to return to the court this season to play with Russell, Malik Beasley and the rest of a completely revamped Wolves roster," The Athletic's Jon Krawczynski wrote Friday.

"He and Russell have been talking for years about playing together, and watching Gersson Rosas engineer the trades just before the deadline energized him for the stretch run. But Towns has only played one game with Russell, and now will be watching from the bench for his second extended stretch this season."

The rest of the Wolves played with that type of mentality against the Nuggets.

McLaughlin registered his second career double-double while starting at the point for Russell:

"

.@itsmclaughlin11  pic.twitter.com/3AUG3txPqI

— Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) February 24, 2020"

Undrafted rookie Martin bucketed a career-high 21 points as the Wolves' unassuming leader off the bench, though 19 of them came in the first half:

The Timberwolves have not made it to the postseason since the 2017-18 campaign and have not made it beyond the first round since losing the 2004 Western Conference Finals. Never-quit efforts from fringe pieces during a night Russell and Towns sat out won't go a long way for a franchise this starved for success, but it does speak to what Minnesota could be building.

What's Next?

Minnesota will continue its four-game road trip against the Dallas Mavericks on Monday night.

The Nuggets will host the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday night.