MINNEAPOLIS — – Anthony Edwards hit a go-ahead 7-foot floater with 25.7 seconds left, and Rudy Gobert closed the game with two free throws to lead the Minnesota Timberwolves past the Denver Nuggets 119-116 on Friday night.

Edwards scored 29 points, Gobert had 17 points and 14 rebounds and Julius Randle added 23 points and seven assists for the Timberwolves, who recovered from a 25-3 fourth quarter run by the Nuggets.

Nikola Jokic had 26 points, 13 assists and nine rebounds and hit two free throws with 2:30 left to put Denver up 116-109 before Minnesota roared back. Jokic had a chance to tie the game at 119, but Gobert forced an errant corner 3-pointer with 2.3 seconds left.

Gordon led the Nuggets with 31 points and 11 rebounds in a rematch of last season’s Western Conference semifinals.

Michael Porter Jr. added 26 points for the Nuggets, who lost point guard Jamal Murray to concussion protocol in the third quarter after colliding with Randle.

Takeaways

Nuggets: Relieving some of the burden on three-time NBA MVP Jokic will be a key to keeping their chances of championship contention open, and Gordon and Porter have done their part. But the lack of depth is a cause for concern. Their bench was outscored 31-13.

Timberwolves: After leading the league in defense last season, there have been some leaks, especially in transition. The Nuggets had 22 fast-break points.

Key moment

Braun dove over the seven-foot Gobert with 5:14 left and got even closer to his face with a taunting scream that prompted Gobert to grab Braun by the neck. The benches were emptied, there was shouting and both players were given a technical inspection.

Key stat

Gordon had his second-highest scoring total in four-plus seasons with the Nuggets. He shot 11 for 18.

Next

The Nuggets host Utah on Saturday. while the Timberwolves play in San Antonio on the same day.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA