Nuggets at Timberwolves
The Denver Nuggets have finally hit their stride, while the Minnesota Timberwolves are heading in the opposite direction. Ty Lawson and the Nuggets take aim at their fourth straight victory on Wednesday when they visit the Timberwolves, who look to avoid their fifth loss in six games. Lawson, who is averaging a career-high 20.7 points per game, contributed 19 points and 11 assists - with only one turnover - in Monday's 110-96 win over Dallas.
Backup point guard Nate Robinson added 17 points off the bench as Denver swept its home-and-home series with the Mavericks and moved above .500 for the first time this season. "I just think that with time we are only going to get better," Robinson said. "We are just trying to stay under the radar and win as many games as we can." The Timberwolves also received a strong performance from their point guard in their last game - a six-point loss to the Pacers - as Ricky Rubio totaled seven points, nine rebounds, seven assists and five steals.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, Altitude (Denver), Fox Sports North Plus (Minnesota)
ABOUT THE NUGGETS (7-6): While Lawson has clearly been the Nuggets' best player, Kenneth Faried has posted six double-doubles in his last eight games. Led by Lawson, Faried and the return of Wilson Chandler (hamstring), the Nuggets have scored at least 100 points in nine of their last 10 contests. However, Denver's defense allows 103 points on average, although that figure dips to 94.3 during their three-game winning streak.
ABOUT THE TIMBERWOLVES (8-8): Minnesota made a significant trade on Tuesday, shipping former No. 2 overall pick Derrick Williams to Sacramento for defensive-minded forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute. Williams struggled to find playing time behind Kevin Love, who plays a team-high 35.8 minutes per game and averages 24.6 points and 13.8 rebounds. Corey Brewer, who spent the last two seasons with the Nuggets, is quietly enjoying the best campaign of his career, averaging a personal-best 14.4 points while starting all 16 games.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Nuggets have won 22 of the last 26 meetings between the teams.
2. Minnesota is 8-4 when it scores at least 100 points and 0-4 when it doesn't.
3. No duo in the NBA has combined for more steals than Rubio and Brewer (82).