[Amick] The Wolves needed to beat the Nuggets to the airport, too. Staffers made the mission clear to the players in the locker room. So after Minnesota asserted its will in the game, Wolves grabbed their luggage and won the race to the skies.
“As if it wasn’t enough that the Minnesota Timberwolves had done what they came here to do, downing the Denver Nuggets 117-108 at Ball Arena on Sunday and inching ahead of their rivals in this Western Conference race in the process.
No, they needed to beat them to the airport, too.
In the NBA world of first-class travel, where charter planes often create traffic jams for teams that are constantly on the move, there’s nothing worse than being stuck at the terminal for hours on end because your opponent called dibs on the runway first. That scenario was in play for both sides afterward, as the Nuggets were heading to Utah for a Monday game and Minnesota — winners of six of its last seven games and now fourth in the West — was eager to head home after a three-game road trip.
Timberwolves staffers made the mission abundantly clear to the players in the locker room afterward, informing them all that time was of the essence if they were going to avoid falling behind the Nuggets (again). So after Minnesota asserted its will in the game, overcoming an 11-point deficit in the first quarter and then leading for the entire second half, these Wolves grabbed their luggage and won the race to the skies.
Mission accomplished, in other words, in every way imaginable.”
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7080090/2026/03/02/nuggets-timberwolves-anthony-edwards-nba-west/