Timberwolves at Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets are fresh off an impressive road victory and play six of their next eight games at home, beginning with Wednesday's tilt against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Nuggets won four of their last six overall games, including Monday's 106-102 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.
Center Nikola Jokic bounced back from two straight quiet outings to deliver 24 points and 10 rebounds in the win over the Clippers. Jokic has recorded five double-doubles in December, including two 27-point efforts and a 17-rebound performance. After getting off to a dreadful 6-18 start, the Timberwolves are suddenly playing well and Monday's 104-90 victory over the Atlanta Hawks was their fourth in the past seven games. Minnesota knocked down a season-best 15 3-pointers and led by as many as 29 points while delivering one of its most impressive outings of the season.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, FSN North (Minnesota), Altitude (Denver)
ABOUT THE TIMBERWOLVES (10-21): Minnesota's improvement coincided with strong play from point guard Ricky Rubio, who posted 10 or more assists four times while averaging 9.3 during the seven-game stretch. Rubio posted 20 assists without a turnover over the past two games and is supplying a calming factor to the offensive attack. "I'm controlling the tempo of the game and I'm not making mistakes on offense," Rubio said after the win over Atlanta. "I'm feeling good."
ABOUT THE NUGGETS (13-18): Athletic swingman Will Barton registered 23 points, eight rebounds and six assists off the bench against the Clippers and has four 20-point performances in December. "I take a lot of pride in closing games out," Barton said after the win over Los Angeles. "I want to be our closer, fourth quarter when the game's on the line. I will do anything it takes to get a win." Forward Danilo Gallinari collected a season-best 11 rebounds for the second straight game and topped 20 points for the second consecutive outing with 23.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Nuggets posted a 102-99 win over the Timberwolves on Nov. 3 for their fourth straight win in the series.
2. Minnesota C Karl-Anthony Towns scored 22 points on 8-of-8 shooting against Atlanta and is averaging 25.7 points and 13.3 rebounds over the past six games.
3. Denver rookie SG Jamal Murray is averaging just 4.2 points on 9-of-30 shooting over the past six contests.