The matchup between the Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves had serious playoff-seeding implications. As it stands, the Nuggets, Timberwolves, and Oklahoma City Thunder are all gunning for the top position in the Western Conference as we near the end of the season. The race is incredibly tight, and the Nuggets knew how important this game would be.

The Nuggets looked like they were the defending champions in the first half. They would go into halftime with a 70-55 lead over the Timberwolves. The Timberwolves wouldn't back down, however. The Nuggets seemed to take their foot off the gas in the third period, and the Timberwolves would come storming back, even taking the lead at one point.

The Timberwolves would go on a scoring flurry in the third, and Nuggets head coach Michael Malone would be seen angrily taking timeouts in an attempt to stop the bleeding.

“You can have an awful quarter, but if you can find a way to salvage that last minute where you go on a semi-small run to give you a little bit of life, to give you a little bit of momentum, and that carried over,” Malone said postgame.

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Both teams would exchange blows in the fourth quarter, but the Nuggets would emerge victorious, 115-112. While Malone was happy to get the win against a division rival, he'd still like his team to get better at sustaining leads.

“You just can't go out there, even though they have guys out with injury, especially on the road. You have to put teams away,” Malone said. “That's something that we really have to get better at. We're building leads, but now, how do we sustain that lead and not just give it all right back.”