Timberwolves at Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets will try to avoid matching their longest losing streak of the season when they host the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday in the opener of a two-game homestand. After dropping their final game before the All-Star break in overtime against the Los Angeles Lakers, the Nuggets fell 113-101 at Oklahoma City in their return to action Friday night.
Denver still sits in second place in the Western Confernce, but the back-to-back setbacks have placed it just 2 1/2 games up on fifth-place Houston entering Saturday, with the Los Angeles Clippers and Utah trailing even closer. The Nuggets' 19 turnovers led to 25 points for the Thunder in the 113-101 loss Friday night. "We didn't take care of the ball," coach Michael Malone told reporters. "That was a huge issue that happened all night long. We didn't value the ball for 48 minutes." Playing their second straight game without star center Karl-Anthony Towns (wrist), the Timberwolves came out of the All-Star break with a 127-117 loss to visiting Boston on Friday. Malik Beasley, acquired from the Nuggets in a Feb. 5 trade involving multiple teams, scored 27 points in the loss as Minnesota fell for the 16th time in 17 games.
TIME: 6 p.m. ET. TV: FS North, Altitude
ABOUT THE TIMBERWOLVES (16-38): Beasley is averaging 23.3 points in four games with Minnesota after his 10-of-18 shooting effort against the Celtics. Fellow newcomer D'Angelo Russell chipped in 18 points and a season-high 13 assists for the Timberwolves, who were outrebounded 58-23. "When you play a team like Boston, the way they approach this season, the way they're kind of navigating this season, you know you have to be pretty much close to perfect to come out with a victory," coach Ryan Saunders told reporters. "We weren't that tonight."
ABOUT THE NUGGETS (38-18): All-Star center Nikola Jokic scored 32 points on 12-of-15 shooting in Friday's loss and he is 27-of-41 from the floor over his last three games. Jamal Murray chipped in 21 points and Will Barton added 16 and a team-high nine rebounds. Paul Millsap was held to two points but registered the team's best on-court rating at plus-5.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Russell is averaging 22 points and 9.7 assists in three games with the Timberwolves.
2. Nuggets SG Gary Harris is shooting 25.9 percent from the floor in seven February games.
3. Denver won the first three meetings and took seven in a row overall.