DENVER _ The rigors of the NBA can be unforgiving.
The Timberwolves were on an eight-game losing streak and their best player, Karl-Anthony Towns, missed his second consecutive game because of a knee injury.
The Wolves embarked on a four-game road trip Friday night having to overcome Towns' injury to snap the losing streak in the building of one of the best teams in the Western Conference.
The effort was there, but the execution wasn't. The Timberwolves lost to the Denver Nuggets, 109-100, at Pepsi Center, extending their losing streak to nine with a visit to Portland on tap Saturday. The Wolves struggled shooting from deep again, going just 10 for 42 from 3-point range.
At the start of the game, the Wolves had to survive an opening barrage from the Nuggets, who hit 12 of their first 13 shots and led by as many as 17 in the first half. Contested or not, the shots were falling. The Wolves got their act together in the second quarter as Denver cooled off from hitting nearly every shot.
With the score 44-27 the Wolves began their first big run at Denver's lead, scoring the next 13 points to cut the lead to 44-40. But after Robert Covington, who had keyed the run with two steals, picked up his third foul, Denver was able to rebuild a 10-point lead at halftime.
Covington picked up his fourth early in the third, meaning the Wolves had to hang on without him. They did, as Gorgui Dieng hit three 3s in the period to cut the Denver lead to 72-70.
But the Wolves could not take the lead as Denver inched its advantage back to seven. The Nuggets had it back up to 19 as they opened 7 for 10 from the floor that quarter. Basically where it all began Friday.
Jamal Murray scored 28 points to lead Denver, while Nikola Jokic added 22, shooting 10 for 16 from the floor.
Andrew Wiggins led the Wolves with 19 points and Dieng added 18.
