The Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves engaged in an all-out battle on Tuesday night, with the final result seeing the Timberwolves emerge from the double-overtime thriller with a 140-139 victory, thanks in large part to a pair of late miscues from veteran point guard Russell Westbrook. After the game, Westbrook was seen getting into a heated argument with a heckling fan as he left the court.
With mere seconds left in the second overtime frame, the Nuggets held a one-point lead when Westbrook stole an errant pass from Anthony Edwards. The shot-clock was turned off, but Westbrook opted to take a fastbreak layup, which he promptly missed. On the ensuing defense possession, Westbrook fouled Nickeil Alexander-Walker as he shot a potential game-winning three. Alexander-Walker would hit two of his three free throws to give Minnesota the win, and fans were not happy with Westbrook, which presumably led to this confrontation.
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Russell Westbrook, Nuggets suffer brutal loss to Timberwolves
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Denver Nuggets guard Russell Westbrook (4) controls the ball as Minnesota Timberwolves guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker (9) guards in the second quarter at Ball Arena.
Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
Overshadowed in the late chaos was a career-outing from Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, as he dropped a historic 61-point triple-double that ended up going to waste. Westbrook's late miscues certainly didn't help, but Denver didn't have any answer for Minnesota's trio of Anthony Edwards (34 points), Julius Randle (26 points), and Alexander-Walker (24 points).
With this loss, the Nuggets record fell to 47-29, and they now have just a half-game lead on the Los Angeles Lakers for the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference. Denver will have to find a way to bounce back quickly, as they will be back on the court against the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night.
Minnesota, meanwhile, now has the same record as the flailing Memphis Grizzlies as they look to guarantee themselves a playoff spot and avoid the NBA's play-in tournament. They will be back in action on Thursday night when they take on the Brooklyn Nets.
a]:text-link [&_>a]:underline">Owen Crisafulli is a Senior Editor and NFL Lead at ClutchPoints, who also covers the NBA and MLB. He recently received his Masters in Business Administration from Nichols College. Previously, he obtained his Bachelor's degree in Sport Management, ran his own website, and had bylines at FanSided and the Basketball Network.