Minnesota Timberwolves guard Mike Conley controls the ball under pressure from Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic in the first quarter at Ball Arena in Denver on April 1, 2025. / Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Call it an instant classic.

Russell Westbrook fouled Nickeil Alexander-Walker on a 3-point attempt as time expired in double overtime, and Alexander-Walker made 2 for 3 from the free-throw line to lift the Minnesota Timberwolves to a critical 140-139 victory over the Denver Nuggets Tuesday night at Ball Arena in Denver to complete the regular-season sweep of the Nuggets.

It took until the final second for the Wolves to come away with the victory. Nikola Jokic, who scored a career-high 61 points, split a pair of free throws to put the Nuggets (47-29) up 139-138 with 17.7 seconds to go. Anthony Edwards turned it over the next possession, but Westbrook missed a layup on the other end, and the Wolves (44-32) raced back.

Alexander-Walker had a look at the third game-winning attempt of the night for the Wolves that didn’t fall, but Westbrook picked up the foul, and Alexander-Walker came up clutch. He had 26 points, eight assists and seven boards off the bench.

Jokic didn’t just have 61 points, he had a 61-point triple-double with 11 rebounds, 10 assists and a pair of steals. Jokic also made a floater that knotted the game at 125-125 at the end of the first overtime and knocked down a pair of free throws that tied it at 112-112 at the end of regulation. Jokic played 53 minutes and didn’t sit after the halftime break.

Overtimes were only fitting for a game where the two teams traded blows all night. The Nuggets opened the game to the tune of a 12-2 start, but the Wolves closed the first quarter on an 11-2 run. A nine-point Denver lead was down to one at the half after Minnesota closed the second quarter on a 10-2 run. And despite taking a five-point advantage into the final frame, the Wolves found themselves in an 11-point hole in the fourth quarter before rallying back to take a late lead.

Anthony Edwards hit a game-tying 3-pointer and hit another from deep the next possession that gave the Wolves a 111-108 lead with 2:06 remaining. Jokic quickly answered with a floater after a Denver timeout, and a Rudy Gobert free throw was the only point between the teams until Jokic hit a pair from the stripe to tie it at 112-112 with 13.9 seconds to go.

Edwards finished with a team-high 34 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. Gobert had 19 points and 12 rebounds before fouling out in the fourth quarter. Josh Minott made an impact off the bench with 10 points in 12 minutes.

Julius Randle, who had 26 points, nine boards and seven assists, missed a stepback 3 as time expired to set up overtime.

The Wolves led by six in overtime after a jumper from Edwards, but Jokic and Aaron Gordon, who finished with 30 points and eight rebounds, each hit 3s to cut their deficit to two, and Jokic made a floater with 7.1 seconds to go to tie it a 125-125. Jaden McDaniels, who tallied 12 points and seven rebounds, missed a look at a game-winner, and Alexander-Walker was blocked by Peyton Watson at the rim as time expired after grabbing the miss.

Both teams were short-handed as the Timberwolves were without Donte DiVincenzo and Naz Reid, who were each suspended a game for their roles in the brawl in Sunday’s win over the Detroit Pistons, and the Nuggets were without Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr., who were out due to a hamstring injury and personal reasons, respectively.

With the win, the Wolves move into a tie with the Memphis Grizzlies, though Memphis has the tiebreaker, for the sixth seed in the West. Minnesota will need to keep it going Wednesday when it visits the Brooklyn Nets for a 6:30 p.m. CT tipoff.