Nuggets 115, Timberwolves 113
Ty Lawson had 23 points and nine assists and Carmelo Anthony scored 24 points as the Denver Nuggets held on to defeat the hapless Minnesota Timberwolves 115-113 on Saturday night.
Kevin Love scored a career-high 43 points - including 17 in the fourth quarter - and had 17 rebounds for the Timberwolves (6-22), who have lost 11 straight on the road and 15 of their last 18 overall.
Love leads the NBA in rebounding by a wide margin at 15.6 per game.
J.R. Smith and Al Harrington scored 18 and 15 off the bench, respectively, while Arron Afflalo had 17 points for the Nuggets (16-10), who led 62-50 at halftime and by as many as 20 in the third quarter.
Smith’s 3-pointer gave the Nuggets a 115-106 lead with 1:12 left.
Lawson is starting in place of Chauncey Billups, who has missed the last three games with a sore wrist. The Nuggets are 4-1 when Lawson starts this season.
Michael Beasley finished with 17 points but was 0 for 8 in the first half. He scored 33 points in Minnesota’s 107-102 loss at Portland on Friday night.
The Timberwolves are allowing an NBA-worst 109.89 points per game.