Nikola Jokic had 19 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists, Jamal Murray scored a season-high 36 points, and the Denver Nuggets beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 124-109 in Minneapolis on Sunday night.
Facundo Campazzo had a career-high 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting from 3-point range, JaMychal Green had 14 points and Paul Millsap added 12 for the Nuggets, who stopped a two-game skid and won on the road for the first time this season.
Monte Morris finished with 11 points for Denver, which played again without Michael Porter Jr., who is out due to the NBA’s health and safety protocols regarding contact tracing.
Malik Beasley had 25 points against his former team, Jarrett Culver scored 20, D’Angelo Russell added 18 and Naz Reid scored 13 off the bench for the Timberwolves. Minnesota has lost four in a row after winning its first two of the season and has lost nine in a row to the Nuggets.
The Timberwolves trailed by eight midway through the third quarter but outscored Denver by nine the rest of the period to take a one-point lead into the fourth. Culver made two free throws and then a dunk to put Minnesota in front 81-80, its first lead since the first quarter.
Jake Layman’s layup less than a minute into the fourth extended the lead to 86-83 but the Nuggets went on a game-changing run.
PJ Dozier, Morris and Campazzo hit consecutive 3-pointers, and Jokic nailed a jumper and fed Dozier for another layup, which gave him his fourth triple-double of the season and capped a 17-0 run.
Campazzo hit two more 3-pointers as Denver went ahead 113-92 with 3:32 left.
Denver trailed 34-33 early in the second quarter when Murray got hot. He scored nine straight points for the Nuggets to put them ahead 42-36, and his 3-pointer later in the period gave Denver a 12-point lead.
Murray finished with 26 in the first half to lead the Nuggets to a 55-48 lead at the break.
–Field Level Media
