T'Wolves Break Nuggets 107-80
Stephon Marbury had 22 points and Kevin Garnett added 21 points and 11 rebounds as the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the listless Denver Nuggets 107-80 Friday night.
Most of the 6-foot-2 Marbury's baskets came on driving layups and close-in shots, while the Nuggets settled for outside jumper after outside jumper en route to 33 percent shooting.
The Timberwolves shot 55 percent from the floor and won for the second time in five games without starting forward Tom Gugliotta, who is out with bone chips in his right ankle.
LaPhonso Ellis had 16 points and 14 rebounds and Anthony Goldwire came off the bench to score 16 points for the Nuggets, who looked lethargic after a three-point loss in Sacramento on Thursday.
Minnesota led by nine at halftime and broke the game open with a 15-2 run midway through the third quarter. The Nuggets missed eight straight shots at one point, had one basket in a 6:27 span and finished the quarter 5-for-23 from the floor.
The Timberwolves, one of four teams Denver has beaten this season, opened the fourth quarter with a 13-4 run that included a technical foul call on the normally mild-mannered Ellis, who slammed the ball about 25 feet in the air after a foul call.
Minnesota pushed the lead to 87-61 with 7:54 left in the game and the Nuggets never got closer than 22 points the rest of the way.
The Timberwolves led by 14 points in the first quarter and by 15 late in the second but had to settle for a 51-42 lead after the Nuggets scored the final six points before halftime.
Notes: Timberwolves forward Doug West did not return after suffering a bruised lower back midway through the second quarter. ... Garnett is five points short of 3,000 in his career. ... The Nuggets are still 17-4 against Minnesota in Denver. ... Denver fell to 0-10 when scoring less than 90 points and 0-22 when the opponent scores 100. ... The Timberwolves are 4-2 on Friday the 13th. ... Denver's Dean Garrett had his second double-double (11 points, 14 rebounds) against his former team.
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