Nikola Jokic recorded his 23rd 30+ point game this season as the Nuggets defeated the Timberwolves to claim sole second place in the West on Tuesday Night.
Before this matchup, Denver and Minnesota held a share of second place in the West, standing at 0.5 games behind Oklahoma City. But after the Nuggets recorded a head-to-head win over the Timberwolves, Minnesota dropped to take possession of third place in the West, 0.2 games behind the Thunder.
As the playoff rankings stand as of March 20, the Nuggets would take on the No. 7 seed plan-in tournament winner in the West, and the Timberwolves would take on the No. 6 seed Sacramento Kings.
The shorthanded Timberwolves put up a fight against the Nuggets. However, Minnesota is forced to rely upon Anthony Edwards and others to win games without their other star players, Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert, who have both suffered injuries. Edwards recorded 30 points and was two rebounds and two assists away from capturing his first triple-double of the season.
Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels stepped up and gave Minnesota a spark, scoring 26 points in 38 minutes and recording his sixth 20+ point game of the year. Minnesota will need McDaniels to step up for this final month of the regular season if they want to take back the No. 2 seed in the West from the Nuggets.
