Opponents tonight again in Denver, the last time the Timberwolves and Nuggets played came in the season's fourth game.
That's when the Wolves led by 15 points late in the first quarter and still lost the game, 102-99. That's one of nine games in which they've failed to hold double-digit leads.
Nuggets coach Mike Malone knows the Wolves pain.
Like the Wolves, his team should be better than its record is. The Nuggets are 13-18, the Wolves are 10-21.
The Nuggets have won four of their last six games and blew a late eight-point lead to Atlanta in one of the other two games. The Wolves have won four of their last seven games, winning three of four, then losing to Sacramento and Oklahoma City before bouncing back to thump Atlanta at home on Monday.
"We've had a ton of tough losses," Malone said. "We're 13-18 and we've probably easily blown five games. The same thing with these guys (the Wolves) because they've had a lot of games where they've been up big haven't closed the game. Those are the things that drive you crazy. What you have to do is look at the silver lining and say, `OK, we're playing well enough to get these leads. Now we just have to learn how to close these games and win these games.'
"That's a big step in the process for both teams. I think we're on a very similar path, the Timberwolves and the Nuggets, and we just have to stay the course."
Remember it's Mountain Time and an 8 p.m. start Twin Cities time on FSN and WCCO-830 AM.
