MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Nikola Jokic had 35 points and 16 rebounds, Michael Porter Jr. He scored 13 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter.
Jamal Murray had 18 points and 11 assists, Aaron Gordon had 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Nuggets, who blew an 18-point lead in less than 12 minutes and ended their four-game road trip on a high.
The Nuggets (48-21) took the lead in the Western Conference by a percentage point over sleepy Oklahoma City (47-20). The Timberwolves (47-22) dropped one game and fell to third place.
Anthony Edwards had 30 points (four consecutive 30-point games), eight rebounds, and eight assists. He made a clean look from the wing with a crossover dribble that tied the score at the buzzer, but it just missed the rim.
Edwards made a nifty Eurostep layup followed by a 3-pointer to give the Timberwolves an 84-82 lead late in the third quarter and electrify the crowd. Neither team led by more than two possessions until Jokic sank a 3-pointer with 1:45 left to make it 107-99.
Mike Conley, who scored all 13 of his points in the fourth quarter, made an off-balance heave from deep with 11.5 seconds left to pull the Timberwolves within two points. Jayden McDaniels, who tied his career high with 26 points, made his fourth 3-pointer of the game, cutting the lead to one point with 4.2 seconds left.
However, the Nuggets made all the free throws they needed in the final stages and won the game.
The Timberwolves were playing at home for the first time in 15 days, but the timing was bad for the defending champions against Jokic, as they were without their top three big men.
Karl-Anthony Towns (knee) is out indefinitely, Rudy Gobert (ribs) is out for the third consecutive game, and Naz Reid (head), who was injured in the previous night's win over Utah, is also suspended. Added to the list. Jokic weighed in at 40 pounds, 3 inches against Kyle Anderson, who along with Garza had the bulk of the job of defending the two-time NBA MVP.
The Nuggets shot 60% from the floor against one of the league's best defenses and took a 15-point lead at halftime, but things would have been much different in the paint without Gobert's long arms.
After handing the Nuggets six straight losses in the first round of last year's playoffs, the Timberwolves won 110-89 in their first meeting of the season on Nov. 1.
