The streak is over.

Denver finally lost, 110-89, to the Minnesota Timberwolves after winning their first four games of the new season. This was the Nuggets’ first loss since Game 2 of the 2023 NBA Finals against the Miami HEAT way back in June. It was also Denver’s largest loss since April 4 of the 2022-23 regular season when Denver fell to the Houston Rockets, 124-103.

Poor shooting doomed the Nuggets on Wednesday night. The team shot a combined 39.6 percent from the field and just 19.6 percent from three-point range.

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Minnesota, meanwhile, made 45.8 percent of the field goals and 38.1 percent from deep. Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 21 points, and Anthony Edwards tallied a cool 24 points on 50 percent shooting.

“We’re 4-1, and tonight, we got our butts kicked,” said head coach Michael Malone after the loss “Hopefully, it’s a reminder that we’re gonna get everybody’s best every night. They wаnted to come out and they had a lot to show and prove, and we just didn’t match it.”

Nikola Jokić was one of the few positives for Denver, who recorded a double-double with 25 points and 10 rebounds.

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The Timberwolves began the game on a 9-0 run, as Rudy Gobert’s interior defense was a problem for the Nuggets. Jokić was not going to let his team lose and filled up the stat sheet with 9 points and 5 rebounds, forcing a timeout from Minnesota with the Wolves up 23-13. Jokić continued to score on a duet of floaters, and behind his 13 first quarter points, Denver entered the second quarter down 28-21.

The Timberwolves’ length and ability to clog the interior continued to bother Denver in the second quarter. The Nuggets shot the ball at just a 40.9 percent clip and turned the ball over 5 times. Minnesota was led by Edwards’ 16 first half points, leading to a 24-7 run to close the quarter. Minnesota entered the break with a 19-point lead.

Things weren’t looking good for the Nuggets until Jamal Murray caught fire in the third and Һit 5 of 6 shots for a quarter-high 12 points. Unfortunately, Mike Conely practically matched his production with 10 points in the period on 4-of-5 shooting. Minnesota led 89-72 heading into the fourth.

To try something different, Malone started the fourth quarter with Murray and Jokić on the bench. Rather, he handed the young players—Christian Braun, Zeke Nnaji, Peyton Watson, and Julian Strawther—an opportunity to use their energy and agility to potentially alter the course of the game. After nine minutes, Malone substituted his starting lineup as the ploy had failed. Malone substituted the third-string players to mark the conclusion of the game because the starters were likewise unable to reduce the deficit.