Wolves spoil Jokic's 61-point triple-double in 2OT

DENVER -- The Minnesota Timberwolves overcame a career- and NBA-best 61-point triple-double performance from Nikola Jokic to outlast the Denver Nuggets 140-139 in double overtime on Tuesday night.

Jokic's 61 points -- the most by a player in the NBA this season -- were also the most points in a triple-double in NBA history. Jokic, who played 52 minutes, 38 seconds, had 10 rebounds and 10 assists. He didn't leave the floor after halftime.

The Timberwolves sealed the win on a pair of Nickeil Alexander-Walker free throws with 0.1 seconds remaining, concluding a wild sequence in which Russell Westbrook stole the ball on one end in the closing seconds, missed a layup and then fouled Alexander-Walker in the corner. The Timberwolves guard made two and missed the third one on purpose.

"He's a guy that hates to lose," Nuggets coach Michael Malone said of Westbrook. "So he may not want to hear any of that stuff, because he's a perfectionist and he's a competitor. And knowing the way I do, he's probably going to put a lot of this on him. But we lost tonight. The Denver Nuggets, we as a collective group lost a game tonight, not one player."

Anthony Edwards led Minnesota with 34 points.

Jokic hit two free throws with 13.9 seconds remaining to tie it at 112 in regulation. He knocked in a floater with 7.3 seconds left to knot it up at 125 in the first overtime.

The game had a playoff intensity and featured 21 lead changes. The Timberwolves have now won six straight over the Nuggets, as Jokic became the second player in NBA history to lose with a 50-point triple-double, following Wilt Chamberlain in 1963.

The Timberwolves were without Naz Reid and Donte DiVincenzo, who were suspended one game by the league for their roles in an on-court altercation against the Detroit Pistons on Sunday.

Denver didn't have Jamal Murray (hamstring) or Michael Porter Jr. (personal reasons).

Jokic finished 18-of-29 from the floor, including 6 3-pointers. His 61 points were the second most in a game in Nuggets history (David Thompson had 73 in 1978), and the most allowed in a game in Timberwolves history.

A crazy play ensued near the end of the second overtime when Jokic was fouled by Jaden McDaniels in a jump ball situation. Jokic made one free throw to give the Nuggets a 139-138 lead.

ESPN Research and The Associated Press contributed to this report.