Timberwolves-Nuggets Preview

By NOEY KUPCHAN
Posted Apr 10 2012 3:51PM

The scuffling Minnesota Timberwolves' postseason hopes appear to have all but faded.

Visiting the Denver Nuggets doesn't seem likely to help their cause.

Hoping to snap its season-worst losing streak, Minnesota tries to avoid a 10th defeat in 11 trips to Denver on Wednesday night.

The deflated Timberwolves (25-33) looked like contenders a little over a month ago but have since dropped 14 of 18 and into 12th place in the West. They've been outscored by an average of 13.0 points during a six-game skid - their longest since closing the 2010-11 schedule with 15 consecutive defeats.

"We just need to go down swinging, have fun with the game, live in the present," said Kevin Love, who had 25 points and 13 rebounds during Monday's 114-90 loss to Phoenix. "We can't go out like this ... It's hard to be out there and see that there's no energy."

Minnesota gave up a season-high point total for regulation and allowed the Suns to shoot 57.3 percent - the highest mark it's surrendered since December 2010. The Timberwolves have allowed an average of 109.0 points in five games this month.

"(Defense) has to be on all the time, 48 minutes," Martell Webster told the team's official website. "We showed spurts of it, but that will never win you games, that will never get you into the postseason."

The Timberwolves remain a handful of games out of the playoff picture with just eight to go, and coach Rick Adelman is hoping his team isn't headed for another disastrous finish.

"I just told them, 'How do you want to finish the season? Every team we play is playing for something. We've got to respond," Adelman said.

"We have to find it. The coaches, the players, everybody. The season's not over, and we have to understand that."

Getting back on track at the Pepsi Center could prove difficult. Minnesota has lost four straight and nine of 10 at Denver (31-26), including a 103-101 overtime defeat Feb. 20. The Nuggets are 10-5 at home over the past two months, with only one loss coming to a sub-.500 team.

The Timberwolves, though, took the most recent matchup 117-100 on March 25 behind 30 points and 21 boards from Love.

Leading the league with 48 double-doubles, Love could be in for a battle down low with Nuggets rookie Kenneth Faried. The 22nd overall pick out of Morehead State posted season highs of 27 points and 17 rebounds Monday as Denver defeated visiting Golden State 123-84 to split a home-and-home set with the Warriors.

"All I know is, he was the guy with the biggest motor," Warriors coach Mark Jackson told the Nuggets' official website. "He was probably on a different level than anyone on the floor and he set the tone."

The Nuggets also received a boost from Danilo Gallinari, who scored 15 points to go along with six assists and five rebounds in his first game after missing 10 with a broken left thumb.

"Coming back this way was very important for us," Gallinari said. "It builds confidence. We know all these games are very important. We have four home games (remaining). ... If we get all of them, we have a really good chance to stay in a good position in the playoffs."

Winner of three in a row at home, Denver is one of five teams within 2 1/2 games of each other battling for the final three playoff seeds in the West.

Nuggets hold off Wolves for 113-107 win

By PAT GRAHAM
Posted Apr 12 2012 1:02AM

DENVER (AP) George Karl was in a foul mood after his team squandered a 24-point lead and nearly the game against a Minnesota Timberwolves squad playing much of the contest without its star player.

"Worst win of the year," the Denver Nuggets coach proclaimed.

Hey, it sure beat the alternative.

Ty Lawson scored 24 points, including four free throws in the final 17.6 seconds, to help the Nuggets hold on for a 113-107 win Wednesday night over the Timberwolves, who lost All-Star forward Kevin Love to a mild concussion in the first quarter.

"I'm happy that we won but I'm not very happy with the way we won," Karl said. "It was a very disappointing win."

But there are no style points for victories and the Nuggets need all they can accumulate to remain in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race.

So, Lawson won't make any apologies for how his team won.

"Listen, right now we'll take a bad win," Lawson said. "As long as it's in the win column, it's good. I know Coach is mad because we were up 24. It shows we're immature."

Took the words right out of Karl's mouth.

"There's an immaturity to how we finish games off," Karl said. "There's an immaturity to how we play with leads.

"Fortunately, we figured out how to win it. It wasn't very pretty."

Up by as many as 24 points, Denver saw the Timberwolves steadily climb back into the game, even tying it late in the fourth quarter on a 3-pointer by Martell Webster.

All this without their best player on the floor, too.

Love sustained a head injury early in the game after taking an inadvertent elbow from JaVale McGee when the Nuggets center went up for a jumper. Love had missed all five of his shots before being knocked out of the game.

He was going to be kept overnight at an area hospital for precautionary reasons.

"It was pretty bad, but hopefully he will be all right," said guard J.J. Barea, who had a career-high 15 assists. "As soon as he got hit, I knew that he was out. He was talking, but he wasn't all there, though."

Minnesota was trailing by three when Love went crashing to the court. With the UCLA product sidelined, Denver went on a 42-21 run to open up a sizable gap.

That looked to be game, set and match.

Only, the Timberwolves came roaring back, tying the game on Webster's 3-pointer with 1:41 left.

But Lawson secured the win at the line by draining four free throws to turn away the banged-up Timberwolves, who were also without Luke Ridnour (ankle).

"We dug ourselves too big of a hole," said Derrick Williams, who finished with 27 points. "You don't want to go down that path."

As for Love, well, there was a certain shock factor after he went down.

"Kevin is our go-to guy," Williams said. "But I always say, injuries create opportunities for everybody else and people have to step up when their name is called."

Williams certainly answered the call. So did Anthony Randolph, who led the team with 28 points to pick up the slack for the Timberwolves, who have dropped seven straight.

"One name - Anthony Randolph," Barea said. He did it all."

Rookie Kenneth Faried turned in another strong performance, as he finished with 16 points and 12 rebounds. This was on the heels of a 27-point, 17-rebound effort against Golden State two nights ago. The high-energy forward was just as difficult to contain for the Timberwolves, especially after Love went down.

Early in the opening quarter, Faried was shaken up when Love gave him a hard shoulder to the chest as he flew down the lane after a rebound. Faried fell to the floor and had to be helped off, only to quickly return.

Top reserve and team leader Al Harrington was noticeably limping up and down the court as he tries to play through a torn meniscus in his right knee. Harrington saw only 22 minutes of action, but still had 11 points.

This is a banged-up Nuggets team that hasn't been healthy for most of the season. But they're steadily inching closer to having a full contingent. Wilson Chandler (strained hip) thinks he will be ready by at least Sunday, while Danilo Gallinari is just starting to regain his touch after breaking his left thumb last month.

Gallinari came up clutch against the Timberwolves, scoring seven of his 18 points in the final 4:17.

Still, it was a lot closer than Gallinari & Co. anticipated after such a big lead.

"There was a lot of intensity, but we cannot be very happy after this," Gallinari said. "This cannot happen again."

NOTES: Timberwolves coach Rick Adelman had a recent conversation with PG Ricky Rubio, who's out for the season with a torn ACL in his left knee. "He seems to be in real good spirits," Adelman said. ... Minnesota G Wayne Ellington (back spasms) didn't play. ... Nuggets G Arron Afflalo finished with 21 points.

Notebook: Nuggets 113, Timberwolves 107

Posted Thursday April 12, 2012 1:30AM

By Michael Kelly, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: Danilo Gallinari scored seven of his 18 points in the final 4:17, including a go-ahead 3-pointer, and the Denver Nuggets recovered from blowing a 24-point lead for a 113-107 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night.

Ty Lawson had 24 points to lead the Nuggets, who won their fourth in a row at home to keep pace in a tight race with four others teams for the final three playoff spots in the Western Conference. The Nuggets, who also got 21 points from Arron Afflalo and 18 from Kenneth Faried, have eight games remaining.

Anthony Randolph had 28 points and Derrick Williams 27 to help the Timberwolves get back in the game despite the loss of forward Kevin Love to a concussion.

QUOTABLE: "I think it was the worst win of the year. I'm highly disappointed in our habits, our mental toughness. I'm happy that we won but I'm not very happy with the way we won."
-- Nuggets coach George Karl

THE STAT: Lawson also came through down the stretch for the Nuggets, making all four of his free throw attempts in the final 17.6 seconds to help Denver fend off the Timberwolves. Jose Barea fueled the Timberwolves' comeback by dishing out a career-high 15 assists, one more than his previous high.

TURNING POINT: Down by as many as 24 points and without Love, the Timberwolves rallied from 24 points down to tie the game at 97-all on a 3-pointer by Anthony Tolliver with 4:58 remaining. From there, Gallinari came to the Nuggets' rescue. In his second game back after three weeks on the sideline because of a broken left thumb, Gallinari hit a 3-pointer to put the Nuggets in front 100-97 and he finished the team's next possession with a driving layup, helping Denver stay in front the rest of the way.

QUOTABLE II: "I think we all came together and said, 'We might not win this game but we have to play with pride and heart and determination out there. If we're going to lose, we have to go out fighting.' So that's what happened tonight."
-- Williams

HOT: Randolph had a game-high 28 points, the third time in his career that he has scored at least 25 points. ... Faried had 16 points and 12 rebounds for his second double-double in as many games and his eighth on the season.

NOT: Love, who entered the game with the league's fourth-highest scoring average (26.5 points), was injured with 3:59 remaining in the first period when he caught an elbow to the side of his head from JaVale McGee as Denver's center went up for a shot. Love lay on the floor for several minutes before being helped to his feet by training staff and led into the locker room. He was later taken to a nearby hospital, where he was scheduled to remain overnight for observation.

QUOTABLE III: "It wasn't intentional. He just turned around and his head was in the way. It was pretty bad, but hopefully he'll be all right."
-- Barea, on the injury to Love.

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: Gallinari has had consecutive games of 15-plus points since returning from a fractured left thumb.

NOTABLE: The Nuggets' four consecutive wins at the Pepsi Center matches a season high. ... The Timberwolves have lost 10 of their last 11 games in Denver. ... Minnesota has lost a season-high seven in a row, the team's longest losing streak since dropping 15 straight at the end of the 2010-11 season.

UP NEXT: For the Timberwolves, Thursday vs. L.A. Clippers, Saturday vs. Oklahoma City, Monday @ Indiana. For the Nuggets, Friday @ L.A. Lakers, Sunday vs. Houston, Monday @ Houston.

• Timberwolves: Ridnour, Rubio
• Nuggets: Chandler, Fernandez

• Timberwolves: --
• Nuggets: --

• Lead Changes: 4
• Times Tied: 9

• Arena: Pepsi Center, Denver, CO
• Officials: #10 Ron Garretson, #11 Derrick Collins, #58 Josh Tiven
• Attendance: 15823
• Duration: 2:16