Coming in on a back to back, one where they lost an hour in transit, the Denver Nuggets needed a big effort from their bench in order to pull out a victory…and they got it. Led by the nineteen point performance by much maligned Randy Foye, the Nuggets bench outscored their Minnesota counterparts 54-38. The second quarter turned out to be the pivotal period, as Denver turned a three point lead into a fourteen point mountain that the Timberwolves would never be able to scale.
The second half became a back and fourth affair, with mini runs by Minnesota being answered in kind by the resilient Nuggets. In a total team effort, no one Nugget stood out in the second half. Instead, it seemed that each and every player that Michael Malone put on the floor responded with a positive performance. By the latter part of the fourth quarter, the Wolves played as if resigned to their fate, as Denver coasted to a twelve point victory, winning their third game in a row, and their fourth in five contests.
Player of the game: For the first time this season, Randy Foye showed the shooting prowess that once led George Karl to state that having him on the 2013 Nuggets roster would have led to a deep playoff run – perhaps even a finals appearance. Foye shot an impressive 7-9 overall, including an even more impressive 5-6 from deep. His 17 second quarter points sparked the decisive quarter of the game.
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