The Minnesota Timberwolves took down the Denver Nuggets 140-139 in double overtime at Ball Arena in what was one of the best games of this season. The Nuggets came up just short despite Nikola Jokic putting up a historic triple-double, and Anthony Edwards sang the reigning MVP's praises postgame.
"That might have been the best game of my life that I've been a part of," Edwards said. "Nikola Jokic, bruh. Oh my God. He might be the best basketball player I've ever seen close-up, besides myself to myself. He's incredible, bruh. The MVP race is tough. I don’t know. He had 60. That is crazy.”
That's about as big a compliment anyone is going to get from Edwards, and Jokic certainly was deserving of it. The Serbian had 61 points (18-29 FG), 10 rebounds, 10 assists, and two steals against the Timberwolves. It was the most points scored by a player while recording a triple-double, and Edwards admitted the Timberwolves could just pray that Jokic missed.
"We was just hoping he missed," Edwards stated. "At one point, we was just like, bruh, we hope he miss. We was trapping him, he wasn't trapped. He good. Hats off to him, man."
You can't help but tip your cap to Jokic after a performance like that. The 30-year-old came so close to dragging the Nuggets to victory, but it wasn't to be.
Edwards was a big reason for that, as he finished with 34 points (12-25 FG), 10 rebounds, eight assists, and one steal. Of those 34 points, 24 came in the fourth quarter and the two overtime periods.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Julius Randle stepped up as well for the Timberwolves, with 26 points each. It was a terrific team effort, and they needed contributions from all over the place to squeak by Jokic and the Nuggets.
Randle had to guard Jokic at times, and he admitted postgame that he couldn't believe what he was seeing.
"I told him, bro he's incredible," Randle said. "That dude is absolutely ridiculous... That s*** was unbelievable... He’s shooting turnarounds off the wrong foot, fading to his right. He’s doing all type of crazy s*** out there, bro. I don’t even know how to explain it."
You know you just played an incredible game when the opposition speaks so glowingly of you. Jokic is now averaging 29.7 points, 12.8 rebounds, 10.2 assists, 1.8 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game in 2024-25. He has also been incredibly efficient, shooting 57.5% from the field and 41.6% from beyond the arc. This has quite simply been a season for the ages.
Jokic was informed about Edwards' comments in his press conference, and he found them to be quite funny. The seven-time All-Star then praised the guard for his performance.
"We did a really good job in the first half, but he just took off, and that's what superstars do," Jokic said. "That's why he's a special person and special player, I think, in this league."
The Nuggets did indeed do a great job of keeping Edwards in check in the first half, as he had just five points at halftime. Like all great players, though, he stepped up when it mattered most to guide his team to victory.
The Timberwolves have now improved to 44-32 this season and will take on the Brooklyn Nets next at Barclays Center on Thursday at 7:30 PM ET. The Nuggets, meanwhile, have dropped to 47-29 and face off against the San Antonio Spurs at Ball Arena on Wednesday at 9 PM ET.
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