Ten hours before the Minnesota Timberwolves’ regular season finale against the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday, word came down from the league that the Wolves would be without Donte DiVincenzo and Naz Reid. They received one-game suspensions for their roles in the brawl that ensued against the Detroit Pistons on Sunday.
It was not the first time the Timberwolves marched into Ball Arena undermanned for a big game. Rudy Gobert missed Game 2 against Denver in the playoffs last season because his girlfriend was giving birth. Despite being down their defensive anchor, Minnesota routed Denver 106-80 to take a 2-0 lead in the series.
Teams that start the second round with a 2-0 lead have gone on to win the series 93.2% of the time, but Denver took the series to seven games. Minnesota’s Game 2 win likely gave the Wolves something to look back on when they lost three straight later in the series. The win gave them confidence that they could still beat one of the best teams in the Western Conference, even when they were missing a core player or not favored to win.
In Tuesday night’s 140-139 double overtime win, the Wolves showed their fans that nothing has changed. At this time last season, the Timberwolves were jockeying with the Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder for the No. 1 seed. Now, they are fighting to get out of the Play-In Tournament. Minnesota will enter the playoffs on the road in a few weeks as underdogs, but that will probably be to their benefit, as the Wolves have shown time and time again that they are at their best in the face of adversity.
Las Vegas pegged Denver as 1.5-point favorites on Tuesday, even after Michael Malone said Jamal Murray (hamstring) and Michael Porter Jr. (personal) were out. The spread was surprising because, even though the Wolves were down two key contributors, they had won five straight against Denver and were going for the series sweep.
Denver jumped on the Wolves through the first 5:30 of the first quarter, taking a 21-5 lead. Minnesota opened the game, shooting 5 of 18 (27.8%) from the floor, translating to 15 fastbreak points for the Nuggets. The Wolves have been prone to slow starts this season but rarely against a good Western Conference team on the road.
The Wolves weren’t controlling the tempo early, which has been a driving factor to their recent success against Denver and the historic month of March they just wrapped up. However, once Chris Finch turned to his bench, they rediscovered the edge that led them to a franchise-best 11-3 record in March.
that sound thooo 🙂↕️ pic.twitter.com/ZmhJezbMM7
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) April 2, 2025
Minnesota closed the first half on a 10-2 run, only trailing by one point after Denver built a 16-point lead. Anthony Edwards was stuck at five points on 2 of 9 from the floor. He wasn’t playing assertively, and his hand appeared to be bothering him again. Theoretically, that would be a death sentence for a Wolves team already down two top-scoring threats.
However, unlike the Nuggets – whose only hope to win the game was riding Nikola Jokić, who had 21 points at halftime – the Wolves continued to play together. Nickeil Alexander-Walker had 13 points, five rebounds, and five assists on 4 of 8 from the floor and 3 of 6 from deep. Julius Randle made some aggressive moves to the hoop and had 11 points. Josh Minott played his largest role of the season and tallied eight points in eight minutes. Despite shooting 3 of 7 from the floor and 1 of 4 from the free throw line, Rudy Gobert also made his impact felt — recording seven points and seven rebounds.
The Wolves then outscored Denver 32-26 in the third quarter as both teams traded leads. Then, the game went completely off the rails.
He'll just take it from here pic.twitter.com/w4YYEaKKn8
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) April 2, 2025
Through the first four minutes of the fourth quarter, Denver outscored Minnesota 16-2 to eventually take a ten-point lead with 6:53 left in the frame. The Wolves had battled through adversity all night, including missing two key pieces, foul trouble, and a gem from Jokić. However, they were starting to let go of the rope.
Still, they never completely let go and eventually retightened their grip.
“Just stay poised,” Randle said after the game. “Just take everything a possession at a time. Even when we were down early, we were like, ‘Alright, let’s just stop fouling, [play] solid offense, and just take everything a possession at a time.’ That’s all we do, stay poised.”
Randle said that almost nonchalantly. It was as if the Wolves had been poised all year, like they were the No. 1 seed in the West again. In watching how they finished Tuesday’s game, there were flashes of the untrustworthy team that fans have seen. Still, you would be unable to tell that this team has been inconsistent the entire season.
They looked like a band of brothers, bound closer than ever amid chaos.
OKAY ANT 😳 pic.twitter.com/vjLDq4Xogs
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) April 2, 2025
Edwards responded to Denver’s 16-2 run to open the fourth by scoring 13 points on 4 of 6 from the floor and 3 of 5 from deep. He finally came alive after playing passively for most of the game. Edwards’ burst was enough to survive Jokić dropping 16 points in the frame. The Wolves had 14 seconds to win the game at the end of regulation, but Edwards dribbled the clock down to three seconds before tossing it to Randle, forcing him to take a side-step three.
Another potential final possession in a close game ending in a side-step three, this time via Julius Randle.
To overtime we go. https://t.co/Ux2RATtku8 pic.twitter.com/Zm6hJ4eXPN
— Charlie Walton (@CharlieWaltonMN) April 2, 2025
Poor potential game-winning possessions have plagued the Wolves all season. They had another chance to win Tuesday’s marathon at the end of the first overtime. But again, the final possession ended with another incredibly difficult shot, forcing another five minutes of play.
Alexander-Walker, who finished with 26 vital points off the bench, drilled the two game-winning free throws to end one of Minnesota’s most thrilling regular-season games in franchise history.
ICE IN HIS VEINS. https://t.co/o8Mhd20QCi pic.twitter.com/kFUBd2Lw5P
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) April 2, 2025
He made fans forget about the two blown game-winning possessions at the end of regulation and the first overtime. He outlasted Jokić’s ridiculous 61-point performance. Alexander-Walker also tied the Wolves with the Memphis Grizzlies for sixth in the West as the hope of climbing out of the Play-In Tournament becomes brighter.
Above all that, and the theatrics buried within the game itself, Minnesota’s win further cemented that this is a surprisingly good team when its backs are against the wall.
The Wolves are now 9-10 this season when they are not favored to win, which is the second-best underdog record in the NBA (excluding the Boston Celtics and Thunder, who have only been underdogs eight times combined). The Wolves are 7-7 when they are underdogs on the road, which is also the second-best record league-wide.
It’s a trait that Minnesota developed in the playoffs last season. The Wolves were underdogs in the first round against the Phoenix Suns and the second round against Denver. Their postseason run didn’t end until Minnesota was favored to beat the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference Finals.
Whether the Wolves have to go through the Play-In or not, they will likely make the playoffs in a few weeks. Once they do, Las Vegas will favor their opponents, and the first two games will be on the road. That’s probably right where the team wants to be.
The Wolves showed again on Tuesday that it does not matter if they are missing key players, up against one of the best home-court advantages in the league, or tangoing with a three-time MVP in his best form. They play their best when the odds are stacked against them, which is worrying for their first-round opponent and something Wolves fans can be excited about.