MINNEAPOLIS — Maybe the Timberwolves don’t meet Nuggets coach Michael Malone’s criteria for a rival, but they are one of the few teams in the NBA that has had Denver’s number lately. The Nuggets were playing from behind all game in a 133-104 loss Saturday afternoon at Target Center. Dating back to Game 6 of the second-round playoff series that Minnesota rallied to win last spring, Denver has lost four consecutive games to its divisional foe. Two matchups remain this regular season. Anthony Edwards became the Timberwolves’ franchise leader in 3-pointers at 23 years old during a 34-point day. Malone waved the white flag and went to his reserves with more than five minutes remaining. Nikola Jokic’s streak of five straight triple-doubles by the end of the third quarter ended in one of his most uneven games of the season. He finished with 20 points, 11 assists, three rebounds and seven turnovers. He was a team-worst minus-24, while Jamal Murray led the Nuggets instead with 25 points on 10 of 16 shooting. The Nuggets struggled to respond to physicality whenever Minnesotas’s starting lineup was on the floor from the opening tip. Russell Westbrook tried admirably to match it as a defender, guarding Julius Randle, but the power forward was able to get to the rim a few times. Twice, Westbrook tried to take a charge against Randle to no avail. Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert, who’s never the center of attention when opposing teams game-plan for them, scored as a roller and and dished a no-look pass in a Jokician first quarter. He had nine points, four assists and four boards as the Wolves took a 40-31 lead into Jokic’s respite. The reigning MVP scored 13 of his points in the first then didn’t attempt a field goal in the second. Denver managed to win the six minutes without him, fueled by Murray’s shot-making and some effort plays by Peyton Watson, but the stint ended with a hazardous pass by Aaron Gordon that foreshadowed what was next. Related Articles Denver Nuggets | Renck & File: Nikola Jokic seeing fit for Russell Westbrook with Nuggets ranks as top accomplishment this season Denver Nuggets | Does Michael Malone have extra motivation when Nuggets play Sacramento? “I think for my mother watching at home, she does” Denver Nuggets | Nikola Jokic makes full-court heave in Nuggets’ win over Kings: “I knew it was going in” Denver Nuggets | Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic makes 7th consecutive NBA All-Star Game Denver Nuggets | Nuggets Podcast: Nikola Jokic puts final nail in Embiid debate, Russell Westbrook thrives and Aaron Gordon returns Jokic checked back in, and the Nuggets turned it over five times in the last six minutes of the half, leading to nine Minnesota points and an 11-point deficit to ponder in the locker room. The Wolves had 49 points in the paint, an area usually dominated by Denver. If there was a silver lining, it was the relatively quiet half that Edwards had. But he returned from the break with a vengeance that Denver lacked. As Minnesota opened up the floodgates in the third, he buried a series of jump shots by pulling up around pick-and-rolls. Denver’s guards struggled to fight around ball screens, and Jokic wasn’t up the floor enough to affect Edwards’ quick trigger. The Nuggets are headed to Chicago next for the second contest of a five-game road trip, while Timberwolves fans will celebrate the win with free Chick-fil-A thanks to a pair of free throws that Julian Strawther missed in garbage time. Strawther also missed six of his seven shots from the field and was one of five Nuggets to commit multiple turnovers in the loss. Their 20 total giveaways produced 37 points for Minnesota. Want more Nuggets news? Sign up for the Nuggets Insider to get all our NBA analysis.