Nikola Jokic hit a 15-foot jumper with 3.3 seconds left in overtime, and the Denver Nuggets beat the Minnesota Timberwolves, 100-98, in Minneapolis on Sunday.
Jokic finished with 20 points and hit a last-second game winner for the second consecutive game. Paul Millsap had 14 points and 10 rebounds, and Will Barton scored six of his 13 points in overtime and added 12 rebounds.
Denver has won four straight, despite allowing a 16-0 Timberwolves run in the final 6:43 of regulation to force overtime.
Karl-Anthony Towns had 25 points, 16 rebounds and six assists, Andrew Wiggins also scored 25 and Josh Okogie had 17 points for Minnesota. The Timberwolves played without their two top point guards. Jeff Teague was out due to illness, and Shabazz Napier sat with a right hamstring strain.
Denver guard Malik Beasley sat out the second half with an illness.
The Nuggets went 8 minutes, 3 seconds without a point before Jokic had a putback with 3:40 left in overtime. Barton hit a 3-pointer with 3:07 left, then hit another to put Denver ahead 98-94 with 1:52 left, but Minnesota rallied to tie it with 26.2 seconds to play.
Barton passed it to Jokic on the wing, and he hit a fadeaway jumper over Towns to put the Nuggets ahead. Okogie missed a desperation 3-pointer from the corner as time expired.
Denver trailed by two at halftime but outscored Minnesota 26-14 in the third quarter to lead 76-64 heading into the fourth. Millsap had all 14 of his points in the third to lead the way for the Nuggets.
The Nuggets increased their lead to a game-high 16 points on Gary Harris' corner 3-pointer with 6:43 left, prompting a Timberwolves timeout. The Nuggets went scoreless the rest of regulation and the first 1:20 of overtime.
Minnesota grabbed momentum out of the timeout, going on a 16-0 run to tie it on Towns' corner 3-pointer with 42.4 seconds left.
Both teams had a chance to take the lead after that, but Jamal Murray missed two shots, including one at the buzzer, and Wiggins was off on his 27-foot 3-point attempt.
--Field Level Media
Denver | Minnesota | |
Nikola Jokic 20 | Scoring | Karl-Anthony Towns 25 |
Nikola Jokic 7 | Assists | Karl-Anthony Towns 6 |
Will Barton 12 | Rebounds | Karl-Anthony Towns 16 |
Paul Millsap 6 | Free Throws Made | Josh Okogie 7 |
Will Barton 2 | Steals | Robert Covington 2 |
Mason Plumlee 2 | Blocks | Robert Covington 2 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Denver | 100 | 38.6 | 11-28 | 11-17 | 26 | 57 | 4 | 6 | 20 |
Minnesota | 98 | 35.1 | 6-45 | 24-33 | 22 | 53 | 10 | 9 | 13 |