Nikola Jokic delivered 41 points, with 24 of them coming in the latter part of the game, helping the Denver Nuggets to claim the leading position in the Western Conference standings by defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves with a score of 116-107 on Wednesday.

Jokic also contributed 11 rebounds, seven assists, and three steals for the Nuggets (56-24), who have the opportunity to secure the top seed in the West for the second consecutive season by winning their upcoming away games against the San Antonio Spurs on Friday and the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday.

Jamal Murray of Denver scored 20 points while Michael Porter Jr. added 18. This victory marked the 423rd win for Nuggets coach Michael Malone, tying him with George Karl for the second most wins in franchise history.

Anthony Edwards recorded 25 points, Mike Conley had 19 points, Rudy Gobert contributed 13 points and 15 rebounds, and Naz Reid also added 13 points for the Minnesota Timberwolves (55-25).

The Timberwolves now share the second spot in the Western Conference standings with the Thunder, who defeated the Spurs earlier in the day. Minnesota and Oklahoma City are both one game behind Denver.

Minnesota is still missing Karl-Anthony Towns due to a knee injury, but he is expected to return for the final two games of the regular season. The Timberwolves will face the Atlanta Hawks on Friday and the Phoenix Suns on Sunday.

Despite Towns’ absence, Minnesota has a 14-6 record. They have already secured a top three seed after finishing as the No. 8 seed last year following the play-in event.

From the beginning, the game had a playoff atmosphere, with neither side holding a lead of more than seven points in the initial three quarters.

Although the Timberwolves extended their halftime lead to 79-74 with Edwards scoring 14 points, Jokic maintained momentum. After a near turnover, he converted a three-point opportunity to initiate a 9-1 surge that saw Denver leading 83-80 heading into the final quarter.

Both Edwards and Jokic contributed 15 points each in the third quarter and then watched from the bench as the Nuggets expanded their advantage to 88-84 with a putback by Porter with 8:46 remaining.

A fourth 3-pointer by Conley narrowed the gap to 88-87, but Denver responded by scoring the subsequent nine points, triggering a decisive run towards the end of the game.

Nevertheless, despite another successful long-range shot by Conley, the Nuggets maintained their lead and were ahead 102-92 with 3:59 left in the game. After a successful challenge of a foul call on the defensive end, Porter sank two free throws, pushing the lead to 12 points.

Christian Braun capped off the victory with two powerful dunks, with the latter extending the lead to 108-94.