National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Minnesota 132, Denver 128
When: 9:00 PM ET, Monday, March 3, 2014
Where: Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado
Officials: #59 Gary Zielinski, #34 Kevin Cutler, #8 Marc Davis
Attendance: 15240

Timberwolves 132, Nuggets 128:
Kevin Love had 33 points and 19 rebounds as Minnesota held on for the victory to tie a franchise record with its fourth win on the five-game road trip.

Kevin Martin added 22 points, sinking six free throws in the final 16 seconds, for the Timberwolves, who climbed above .500 for the first time since Jan. 29. Corey Brewer, Nikola Pekovic and J.J. Barea added 16 points apiece for Minnesota.

Ty Lawson finished with a season-high 31 points, 11 assists and four steals for Denver in his first game back after missing the last nine with a fractured rib. Wilson Chandler added 25 points and 10 rebounds, Randy Foye scored 22 points and Kenneth Faried finished with 21 for the Nuggets, who have lost six straight and 11 of 12.

Even with Lawson back in the starting lineup, the Nuggets faced an uphill climb right from the start, as starting center Timofey Mozgov collected two fouls in the first 94 seconds and the Timberwolves sprinted to a 40-25 lead after the opening quarter. Foye kept Minnesota from running away with an early victory by scoring 10 points in the second quarter, keeping the Nuggets within 17 at the half.

Five quick points by Pekovic to start the third quarter and a 3-pointer by Love gave the Timberwolves their biggest lead at 74-51 and Minnesota eventually took a 15-point advantage into the fourth. The Timberwolves left the door open by missing five free throws in the final 1:23 while the Nuggets sank four 3s in the final 23 seconds, trimming the deficit to single digits before Martin finally closed them out at the line to finish the road trip with a 4-1 mark.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Barea shot 25-for-37 in the four games against Denver this season. … Denver’s bench combined to outscore Minnesota’s by 27 points in the first three meetings, but was outscored 40-25 in the series finale. … The Timberwolves shot 64 free throws -- making 52 -- compared to 25 for Denver while Love's double-double was his 50th of the season.
Top Game Performances
 
Minnesota   Denver
Kevin Love 33 Scoring Ty Lawson 31
Jose Juan Barea 5 Assists Ty Lawson 11
Kevin Love 19 Rebounds Wilson Chandler 10
Kevin Martin 16 Free Throws Made Ty Lawson 6
Corey Brewer 2 Steals Ty Lawson 4
N/A Blocks Darrell Arthur 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Minnesota 132 47.5 4-16 52-64 21 50 0 10 18
Denver 128 52.6 12-33 16-25 23 41 5 9 18
Upcoming Games
  • Denver will play their next game at home against Dallas. The Nuggets have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.
  • Minnesota will play their next game at home against New York. The Timberwolves have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.