In a completely crazy game, the Nuggets of the monstrous Nikola Jokić defeated the Wolves

To wrap up these “2025 Christmas Games,” the Nuggets welcomed a Minnesota team in excellent form, reflecting its ten wins in twelve games prior to this meeting. To start the game, Nikola Jokic (56 points, 16 rebounds, 15 assists) shoots against 3-pointers Julius Randle docAnthony Edwards (44 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists) scored ten of Minnesota’s first fourteen points. The Nuggets star is not to be outdone and responds with 18 points in this first act.

In the final seconds, he grabbed an offensive rebound off one of his missed shots and put the ball back in the hoop. Immediately afterwards he finds Tim Hardaway Jr. who punishes from afar to give Denver three points ahead after twelve minutes of play (32-29).

However, when Nikola Jokic comes to the bench, it immediately becomes more complicated for the franchise from Colorado. The Nuggets go nearly five minutes without a goal. A period where they continue to lose balls and miss shots. Minnesota took advantage of the opportunity to go on a 17-0 run during which Rudy Gobert (9 points, 12 rebounds, 6 fouls) returns the advantage to the Wolves (47-38).

You have to wait for the long distance arrow Jamal Murray (35 points, 10 assists) to calm the fire. Since then, the two teams have traded blows. Denver is doing well thanks to Nikola Jokic, who already has 23 points on 8/10 shooting at halftime (57-55).

After returning from the locker room, the home team did not give up, and Jamal Murray’s winning shot gave them a ten-point advantage, the biggest deficit in the match (69-59). Four minutes after the restart, Nikola Jokić found his leader and already confirmed his triple-double. After him, the Nuggets hit a string of 3-pointers, which forced Chris Finch to take a timeout. A reasonable decision by the Wolves coach, since his players scored 7-0 after this stoppage and came back nine lengths (79-70). However, Denver manages to increase the gap and has an advantage of 14 points before the start of the last quarter (92-78).

Crazy Money Time by Anthony Edwards

Midway through the fourth quarter, the Wolves went on an 11-0 run, capped by a 2+1 by Julius Randle, to pull back four lengths (106-102). If Nikola Jokić answers in the middle distance, Anthony Edwards, a little more discreet than the heat stroke at the beginning of the match, scores two baskets in a row. The Wolves star was fouled on a 3-point shot in the last minute of the match and did not shake at the line. In the next possession, Donte DiVincenzo intercepted Jamal Murray’s pass and Jaden McDaniels takes responsibility for finishing the counterattack. (113-112).

With five seconds to play and a point down, the Wolves had no choice but to send Nikola Jokic to shoot free throws, except the Serbian missed neither of his two attempts. With one second on the clock, Minnesota has the tying ball in Denver’s court. The ball reaches the hands of Anthony Edwards, who shoots an arrow from a long distance and sends the match into extra time (115-115).

Thanks to Anthony Edwards for giving us a little extra for this Christmas Games pic.twitter.com/Cb0t0jdVmZ

— Thibault Mairesse (@MNThibault_) December 26, 2025

By the end of the night

The three-time All-Star didn’t slow down in overtime either. Between a mid-range shot with the backboard and a ogive from behind the arc, he makes it 9-0 in favor of his team as the Nuggets suffer a real setback (124-115). After a two-minute drought, Nikola Jokić puts Denver back on track with a long-range shot. He added a second moments later and then attacked the circle with a floater that brought the two teams back to a 126-126 tie.

In the last minute, Nikola Jokic is called for a foul on Rudy Gobert, but David Adelman decides to contest the whistle. Good choice because the decision was overturned. Rudy Gobert was penalized for this foul, his sixth of the night, which is synonymous with being ejected.

Once again, Nikola Jokić did not miss a free throw, while Jamal Murray made the winning shot and returned the advantage to the Nuggets with 35 seconds left (131-128). In the next possession, Peyton Watson makes sense, intercepts Anthony Edwards’ pass and the Wolves return Nikola Jokic to shoot two free throws. The three-time MVP misses one of his two attempts, but it’s still enough to give the home team two possessions ahead. If Anthony Edwards dunks to bring the Wolves back within two lengths, he is penalized with two technical fouls almost in quick succession.

The final fact of the game that seals the fate of this match as Nikola Jokić is still surgical on free throws. At the end of the suspense and at the end of a crazy matchup, the Nuggets won 142 to 138.

WHAT TO REMEMBER

Nikola Jokić and Anthony Edwards delighted us. The superstars of both teams were present throughout the match. From the beginning of this match, Anthony Edwards and Nikola Jokic went blow for blow. If Denver’s pivot doesn’t slow down as his triple-double confirmed in the third quarter, Minnesota’s quarterback is decisive at the end of regulation time. He scored 11 of the Wolves’ last 13 points, including this overtime shot. In overtime, “Mrav” is in the oven and on the grindstone in the first minutes, but Nikola Jokić has the last word. Anthony Edwards was sent off for two technical fouls, while the Denver star missed almost nothing. At the end of this duel at the top, Anthony Edwards finished with 44 points on 14/25 shooting. For his part, Nikola Jokic scored 56, the third-highest rating for the Christmas game, with the added bonus of 16 rebounds and 15 assists.

The Wolves Awakening. With a 14-point lead before the start of the fourth quarter, the Nuggets had to maintain this deficit for the final twelve minutes, but that was without counting on a Minnesota comeback. For starters, it was Rudy Gobert who made a series of defensive stops to slow Denver’s offense, and then back-to-back Julius Randle and Anthony Edwards breathed new life into Minnesota’s offense. At the end of the fourth quarter, they won with a score of 37:23, the match went into extra time, but the Wolves were unable to win.

Jamal Murray was not left out. If the star of this match on Denver’s side is of course Nikola Jokic, he was excellently supported by Jamal Murray. Leeder made several important shots, including one from distance at the end of overtime, to put Denver ahead. He finished the game with 35 points and 10 assists and added a new element to his record heading into the first All-Star Game.

How to read statistics? Min = Minute; Shots = Shots Successful / Shots Attempted; 3 points = 3 points / attempt 3 points; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive jump; T = Total number of jumps; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal mistakes; Int = intercepts; Bp = lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Difference of points when the player is on the field; Points = Points; Rating: player rating calculated based on positive actions – negative actions.