For almost three quarters, the Nuggets looked like they would lose a second straight game to a sub.-500 division rival.
Andre Miller’s block of Ricky Davis with 15.9 seconds remaining in the third period helped change that – starting a 7-0 run that gave the Nuggets the lead for good in their 106-94 win over the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night.
“It was needed,” Miller said of the block, which came with Denver trailing 76-72 and Minnesota shooting more than 50 percent from the floor. “It carried into the fourth quarter and brought a lot of energy to the crowd.”
Carmelo Anthony scored 32 points and Ruben Patterson added 14 for the Nuggets, who ended a two-game losing streak as they try to win their first division title since the 1987-88 season.
They increased their lead over Utah to 6 1/2 games in the Northwest Division, with the Jazz losing to the Los Angeles Clippers 106-91.
Denver lost to Utah 115-104 Wednesday night.
Kevin Garnett scored 22 points and grabbed 16 rebounds for the Timberwolves, who lost their 11th straight game on the road.
The Nuggets struggled on both ends of the court for most of the first three quarters. They missed alley-oops and easy shots under the basket. The Timberwolves, meanwhile, shot 50.8 percent from the floor by the end of the third quarter, compared with 38.6 by Denver.
But late in the third, the Nuggets turned it around.
Denver’s defense tightened, forcing a 24-second violation.
Miller then got the block, and Greg Buckner scored five straight points to end the period, his second shot a 3-pointer, to pull Denver to 76-75 to start the fourth.
“That was huge, but that wasn’t the play,” Minnesota guard Marcus Banks said of Miller’s block. “It was the play after play after play.”
The rally continued in the fourth quarter, with the Nuggets forcing two straight turnovers and getting two dunks by Marcus Camby and Reggie Evans to take a 79-76 lead with 10:53 remaining.
Denver never trailed again.
“That’s the kind of energy we would like to have going into the last nine games of the season,” Anthony said.
