Denver Nuggets beat Minnesota Timberwolves 116-105 at home on Saturday, April 18, after falling far behind. The Nuggets were down 10 at one quarter break and still finished 11 ahead.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Timberwolves had the better start, winning the first 33-23 to lead by 10 after one. The Nuggets pulled even with a 39-29 second quarter, sending the game to halftime tied at 62.
The Nuggets won the third 29-17 to turn the game around, taking a 12-point lead into the fourth. The Timberwolves took the fourth 26-25; the Nuggets held on for a 116-105 regulation win.
What flipped it
The Nuggets made 34.5 free throws per 100 field-goal attempts, compared with 16.1 for the Timberwolves. The Nuggets grabbed 18.2% of their own misses, while the Timberwolves recovered 15.2%. The points at the line gave them room for error elsewhere.
At roughly 104 possessions per team, the Nuggets produced 111.6 points per 100 possessions to 101 for the Timberwolves.
Who carried the comeback
Nikola Jokic was the game's biggest individual force for DEN: 25 pts, 13 reb, 11 ast on 11-19 shooting. His Game Score of 22.9 led everyone. His team was +9 with him on the floor.
Anthony Edwards led the Timberwolves with 22 pts, 9 reb, 7 ast, 3 blk on 7-19 shooting, good for a 16.2 Game Score.
Nikola Jokic (25 pts, 13 reb, 11 ast) and Rudy Gobert (17 pts, 10 reb, 2 ast) each recorded a double-double.
What it means
The result fit the pre-game Win Meter, which gave the Nuggets about a 77% chance.
Across the last 8 meetings in our records, Minnesota Timberwolves lead 5-3.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.