Guard Andrew Wiggins added 18 points for the Timberwolves, who will take a 2-0 record into their first home game against Portland on Monday. He is the second teenager since the 1985-86 season to have 28 points and 14 rebounds in the same game.
Advertisement
The clock began working again in the fourth quarter.
“I think it’s a lot more with us coming out with no sense of urgency”, Malone said.
Michael Malone preached from the moment he was named head coach in Denver that pace is important to him and it would be foolish for the Nuggets not use the altitude to their advantage, yet somehow the Nuggets were out ran by a Minnesota team that started 39-year-old Kevin Garnett and 35-year-old Tayshaun Prince. Unfortunately, they followed up that impressive performance with a dud in the home opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves. I’ve been skeptical of him but after tonight there’s no doubt in my mind, that kid is an absolute stud. Wiggins and Towns are going to set Minnesota up very nicely for the future.
“They didn’t shoot that great from the field but getting to the free-throw line kept them in the game and they made a few big shots down the stretch”, Mudiay said.
Unlike Towns, Russell D’Angelo who was picked No 2 in the draft by the Los Angeles Lakers, is having a slow start. He also had two blocked shots to help Minnesota hold Denver to 31 percent shooting in the first two quarters.
The Timberwolves have been playing with heavy hearts since Saunders died Sunday after complications from Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Nuggets: Wilson Chandler (hip) and Jusuf Nurkic (knee) didn’t play….
C Nikola Pekovic missed Friday’s game and is out indefinitely with a right Achilles tendon injury. Denver didn’t have the same crisp passing and tenacious defense it had in a 105-85 win at Houston on Wednesday.
G Tyus Jones was inactive for the second straight game on Friday.
Advertisement
The Wolves have won their regular season’s first two games by beating Denver 95-78 on Friday night at Pepsi Center.
