A triumph over the Timberwolves would help Denver in its playoff push
Michael Malone’s tenure as Denver Nuggets head coach spans 242 games.
None appears bigger, though, than what awaits his team Thursday night at Pepsi Center.
Minnesota beat Denver in each of their two previous meetings this season, 128-125 (OT) and 112-104, and now the Nuggets must return the favor to help their chances at securing their first playoff berth in half-a-decade.
“It’s going to be the biggest game of the season for us,” forward Wilson Chandler said.
Denver’s 107-104 victory against the Pacers on Tuesday, its thirdconsecutive win, momentarily put the Nuggets (43-35) a halfgame behind New Orleans (43-34) for the eighth and final Western Conference playoff spot. The 10th-place Clippers (42-36) are on Denver’s heels, just one game back.
A New Orleans home loss Wednesday night to Memphis would put Denver back in the playoff picture, but that’s hardly a concern for Nuggets players and coaches. The only guaranteed path to the postseason is four wins in the team’s final four games: 8:30 p.m. Thursday vs. Minnesota, 1:30 p.m. Saturday at the Los Angeles Clippers, 7 p.m. Monday vs. Portland and 6 p.m. Wednesday at Minnesota. Win them all and they are in the playoffs.
“We’re in a great spot because we control our own destiny,” Malone said. “We don’t have to rely on all these other people. What a great feeling with four games to go knowing you control your own destiny. That’s how we approach it.”
Chandler added: “We can’t worry about what other teams are doing. We’ve just got to keep winning.”
The Timberwolves (44-34) are competing for their playoff lives as well, sitting seventh in the West, but can clinch a spot with a win in either of their games against the Nuggets, plus one additional victory. Minnesota has been without the services of all-star shooting guard Jimmy Butler the past 16 games with a knee injury and the team has struggled to reach 8-8 in his absence — although Butler told reporters Tuesday he was nearing a return.
Minnesota hasn’t reached the playoffs in 14 years.
“You’ve got to risk it for the biscuit, and I’m ready to do that,” Butler told ESPN. “I want to be in the playoffs. I want to continue to play. I’m not saying I’m the only reason we’re going to make it. But I think the chances are a little bit higher if I’m out there.”
A loss Thursday won’t eliminate Denver from postseason consideration, but the Nuggets would require some outside help to make it happen. Does it mean this game is the most important of any Malone has coached in his three seasons with the team? That can be left up to interpretation. But what remains clear is this: “If we win, everything will take care of itself,” guard Will Barton said. “Everybody in this locker room can smell (the playoffs) — and they want it.”