It was an up and down affair, but the Denver Nuggets shined in the second half to take down the Minnesota Timberwolves on the road.

No Anthony Edwards affected the dynamics of this matchup, but the Nuggets won’t care. This was their first win vs the divisional rival since May, 2024. The Nuggets needed to bury the hatchet here, and they found a way behind epic performances from their two stars.

Jamal Murray went off for 43 points, six rebounds, and three assists, leading the way for the Nuggets with a strong all-around scoring performance. He finished the game a +30 in 37 minutes. Murray made five three-pointers, got to the free throw line, navigated the mid-range, and attacked the basket with consistency.

He was everywhere tonight and helped settle the Nuggets down in a big way. Over 30 of his points came in the second half after the Nuggets got out of rhythm on both ends of the floor. Several three-pointers, pull-up jumpers, and difficult floaters were nothing for Murray in a big moment against a good defense.

Not to be outdone, Nikola Jokic helped keep the Nuggets in the game in the first half. He had 17 points, seven rebounds, and five assists in the first two frames but focused in on rebounding and passing in the second two frames. Jokic finished with a highly efficient 25 points, 19 rebounds, and 10 assists to go with two steals and a block, shooting 9-of-10 from the field. He set the table for Murray and Tim Hardaway Jr. for much of the second half.

Speaking of Hardaway, welcome to Denver to a veteran contributor that the Nuggets needed tonight. Hardaway finished with 20 points and three assists in 32 bench minutes, stepping up in a big way as the floor spacer Denver needed. He shot 7-of-11 from the field and 4-of-6 from three, his quick trigger helping settle down Denver’s offense. He also finished off some nice passing sequences with a bucket, which always feels valuable to pay off good offense in the moment.

Denver needed Hardaway to step up because of some struggles with the starters. Cam Johnson was in foul trouble all night and never looked comfortable in this game. Christian Braun was merely okay as he missed some shots around the rim on cuts and drives that he normally makes. The Nuggets needed another guy to go with Murray and Jokic. Tonight, Hardaway was that guy.

So was Peyton Watson though, not to be forgotten. Watson stepped up and closed in the fourth quarter, playing great perimeter defense and hitting back-to-back threes in the left corner. Watson’s versatility was big defensively, switching from perimeter assignments to guarding Jaden McDaniels and Naz Reid, both of whom were hurting the Nuggets with their scoring throughout.

Denver’s depth was on full display tonight. Having the optionality to go to different options and the trust to play the guys who were playing well was a luxury Denver simply didn’t have last year. Bruce Brown and Jonas Valanciunas didn’t have good games, but there’s no reason why they can’t be the players to step up next time. That’s the beauty of choices for David Adelman to pick and choose throughout the season.

The rotation also got weird as a result of the weirdness of this game, but it involved Jokic staggered with the second unit in the fourth quarter instead of Murray. That helped, and it allowed the Nuggets to stabilize while Murray took a short break. Then, he helped close the deal.

Overall, this was a great win for Denver. Again, no Anthony Edwards changes things, but the Nuggets still struggled to navigate the size, athleticism, and shotmaking the T’Wolves threw out there anyway. Finding ways to calm themselves down and steady the ship in this matchup will go a long way.