Timberwolves Vs Nuggets — timberwolves vs nuggets: Wolves 117-108 at Ball Arena
In a March 1st, 2026 afternoon showdown at Ball Arena, the timberwolves vs nuggets matchup ended with Minnesota avoiding a season sweep, beating Denver 117-108. The game, scheduled for 2: 30 PM CST on national television, closed a three-game road trip the Wolves finished 3-0.
Game setup and context
The matchup carried weight in the Western Conference standings. Both teams entered the day with identical 37-23 records. Television coverage was slated for ABC and radio coverage listed as Wolves App and iHeart Radio. The Timberwolves had struggled against Denver this season, dropping the first three meetings including an overtime loss on Christmas Day, after having gone 4-0 against the Nuggets the previous season.
Second-quarter surge decides
The Wolves fell behind early, trailing 31-22 after a first quarter in which Minnesota shot just 9-for-21 and Nikola Jokic put up 13 points and four assists. Minnesota reversed course in the second quarter, using a 36-19 run to seize a lead they never relinquished. The Wolves led 58-50 at halftime. Bones Hyland finished the first half with a team-high 15 points on 5-for-5 shooting.
Edwards and McDaniels step up
Anthony Edwards paced Minnesota with 21 points in a balanced offensive effort. Jaden McDaniels added 20 and Bones Hyland finished with 18, 15 of those in the first half. Julius Randle, Ayo Dosunmu and Naz Reid also contributed: McDaniels had 10 first-half points, Dosunmu scored seven in the first half, and Naz Reid opened the fourth quarter with nine points that helped keep the Wolves ahead by double digits while Jokic rested to start the period.
Jokic, Nuggets response and injuries
Nikola Jokic finished the game with 35 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists for Denver. Denver had shown vulnerability this season: Jokic had missed time this year, and Aaron Gordon had been sidelined with a hamstring. Gordon might be back for the game, but even if he played he was described as almost certainly not at peak form. The context noted Denver had had some uneven weeks and had felt human at times, though Jokic still created near triple-doubles regularly.
Late runs and final sequence
The Wolves led by as many as 14 points, but Denver mounted a run late in the third quarter that cut the deficit to 87-82 before Randle converted a three-point play to push the score to 90-82 entering the fourth. Minnesota held firm in the fourth and closed out a 117-108 victory. The Wolves have now won six of their past seven games.
Standings, tiebreakers and coach comments
With the win Minnesota improved to 38-23 and moved into fourth place in the West, a game ahead of Denver, which dropped to 37-24. The Rockets sat at 37-22 and led the Wolves by percentage points, having played two fewer games. Because Minnesota is 1-3 against Denver this season, the Wolves do not hold the tiebreaker and will need to finish a game ahead of the Nuggets in the standings to win a head-to-head tiebreaker scenario.
Coach Chris Finch framed the game as a playoff-style test. "We flagged it as a playoff game for us, " Finch said in Denver. "They have the tiebreaker, so we got to keep our nose in front of them. That means we had to win this one here. We were mad at ourselves on Christmas. We had kicked that one away, and we were itching to get back here and redeem ourselves. " Finch added on the importance of non-Jokic stretches: "You got to win the non-Jokic minutes. We've been inconsistent over the last several years with that.... Bones was spectacular today. Played with great pace, got downhill and forced things to happen. Loved his defense, too. Really competed. "
The result also addressed a recent narrative: after a relatively muted February for Minnesota, the team used this March afternoon to make a statement. The Timberwolves had survived earlier road tests against the Blazers and Clippers, and the win in Denver halted a series of regular-season defeats to the Nuggets and avoided a sweep.
Play-by-play details and television and radio assignments for the March 1st matchup were listed before the game: Date: March 1st, 2026; Time: 2: 30 PM CST; Location: Ball Arena; Television Coverage: ABC; Radio Coverage: Wolves App, iHeart Radio.
For fans tracking the rivalry, the matchup also evoked past playoff battles between the franchises, including Minnesota's 2024 comeback energy referenced in the buildup—when Anthony Edwards hit a clutch shot to force overtime on Christmas Day—and the long-running competitiveness between the clubs.
Unclear in the provided context: final possession-by-possession detail of the game's closing minute.
The Wolves will attempt to remain ahead of Denver in the standings and continue the climb toward the third seed as the regular season progresses.
