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The Denver Nuggets have stopped scoreboard watching and suddenly started winning.

A novel concept Brian O'Neill Color Rush Jersey , with coach Michael Malone posting the standings on the board for basically the last time after a loss in Toronto. Since then, they’ve won four straight to make things interesting down the stretch.

Jamal Murray had 22 points to lead six Denver players in double figures, Nikola Jokic sealed the game with a late tip-in and the Nuggets beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 100-96 on Thursday night in a pivotal matchup between teams vying for a playoff spot.

The victory moved Denver (44-35) into a tie, record-wise, with Minnesota for the eighth spot with three games remaining. Both are a half-game behind New Orleans.

”Prior to the winning streak, I think we were (looking at the standings) and putting too much pressure on ourselves,” Paul Millsap said. ”We’re just back to ourselves and playing basketball. On nights we’re not shooting well, we’re still playing and still having fun.”

Jokic finished with 16 points and 14 rebounds, while reserve Devin Harris added 20 points for the Nuggets. The playoff jockeying between these two teams could go down to the wire with Minnesota hosting Denver in the regular season finale Wednesday.

”We knew this was a big one coming in,” Denver’s Mason Plumlee said. ”But as big as this is, we have to forget about it.”

Karl-Anthony Towns had 26 points and grabbed 13 rebounds before fouling out with 1:46 remaining.

Up 98-96 with 6.6 seconds left, Will Barton took a shot that bounced off the rim and in Jokic’s direction, and he batted it in with 4.3 seconds on the clock to wrap up the win. Jokic was an uncharacteristic 6 of 20 from the field.

”Joker couldn’t make a shot to save his life,” Murray joked. ”Comes in and gets a tip-in. That’s what he does. That’s who he is, man.”

Minnesota had a familiar face available and sitting on the bench in Jimmy Butler Youth Jordan Whitehead Jersey , but he didn’t get into the game. Butler has been out since suffering a right knee injury on Feb. 23 at Houston. The Wolves are 8-9 since Butler was sidelined.

”So just taking everything into consideration, we just thought it was best to wait another day,” Minnesota coach Tom Thibodeau said.

This game featured quite a showdown between two elite big men in Towns and Jokic. They pushed and shoved each other around before Towns fouled out with 1:46 remaining while trying to cover Murray on the perimeter.

”You want to be out there, you want to be helping the team,” Towns said. ”You just got to find ways to win regardless of the situation.”

No time for looking back, though.

”We can’t take back what happened tonight,” Towns said. ”There’s no time to weep.”

TIP-INS

Timberwolves: G Jeff Teague (knee) was back after missing a game and scored 15 points. Derrick Rose (ankle) had four. … Towns earned his 65th double-double of the season.

Nuggets: G Gary Harris missed a 10th straight game with a strained right knee. ”Longer than I think anybody anticipated,” Malone said. ”Just not where it needs to be for him to come back.” … Jokic had nine assists.

OUCH

Towns momentarily stayed down early in the third after taking an elbow to the face from Millsap. Towns remained in the game.

Moments later, Murray took an accidental hand to the face from Towns while trying to grab a rebound. Murray hit the floor before slowly getting back up.

NOT BUYING IT

In his pregame chat, Malone said he didn’t buy that Butler would sit out despite being listed as doubtful.

”Believe that if you want,” Malone said. ”I got a bridge to sell you.”

Water under the bridge – Butler didn’t play.

HARRIS TO THE RESCUE

Denver caught fire late in the third behind the shooting of Harris, who had nine points to help the team close out the quarter on an 11-0 run.

”It was my night to make shots,” Harris said. ”It’s going to be somebody else’s the next night. Going into this playoff push, it’s got to be all hand’s on deck.”

UP NEXT

Timberwolves: Travel to Los Angeles to play the Lakers on Friday.

Nuggets: Denver plays two of its final three games on the road, including Saturday in Los Angeles against the Clippers.

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The Green Bay Packers' profit fell by nearly 50 percent in the last fiscal year as the team missed the playoffs for the first time in a decade.

President and CEO Mark Murphy said the outlook for the Packers remains strong as the NFL's only publicly owned team released its 2018 financial statement on Monday. The Packers announced a profit from operations of $34.1 million James Daniels Jersey Elite , a steep decline from $65.4 million a year earlier. Expenses soared 11.9 percent, from $376.1 million to $420.9 million, a byproduct of player salaries, coaching changes and travel costs. Revenue increased just 3.1 percent from $441.4 million to $454.9 million.

"The NFL continues to be very popular nationally," Murphy said. "There's been a lot talked about with ratings that have gone down, but, really, relative to ratings overall, the league remains very strong. The fan interest and support remain strong for both the league and us. Our strong, stable financial position has allowed us to invest in the team through contracts for players and coaches, our facility, the stadium, the fan experience and community, and making sure the franchise stays strong for the future."

Revenue from national sources rose by 4.9 percent, due to built-in increases in the national TV package. Local revenue grew by a scant 0.8 percent. A 7-9 record - the team's first losing season since 2008 - hurt the bottom line.

"This is the first year since 2008 that we were not in the playoffs DJ Chark Color Rush Jersey , and I think that had an impact on us," Murphy said. "We didn't have a home playoff game and some of our visitation numbers were down a little bit. We don't see that as a negative trend."

The Packers made several big changes during the offseason. Murphy picked Brian Gutekunst to replace longtime general manager Ted Thompson, and coach Mike McCarthy replaced defensive coordinator Dom Capers with Mike Pettine and offensive coordinator Edgar Bennett with Joe Philbin.

Plus, quarterback Aaron Rodgers will be back after missing half of last season with a broken collarbone. Murphy said he senses a renewed level of enthusiasm from fans, with the team kicking off its 100th season with the start of training camp on July 26.

"Certainly, having Aaron healthy is a part of that, but I think some of the changes we've made coaching staff as well as the draft and players we've added, I think people are excited for the season," Murphy said. "You add on top of that the 100 seasons, it should, knock on wood, be a good year."

RODGERS WATCH

Rodgers, who is under contract through the 2019 season, told NBC Sports over the weekend there is "some merit" in working out a "nontraditional contractual agreement." Murphy wouldn't get into specifics but said: "Obviously, he's an important player. He wants to be here and want him to be here. When both sides have a common interest Mike McGlinchey Jersey , you get deals done."

PLAYER PROTESTS

In May, league owners agreed to a policy that requires players to stand if they are on the field for the national anthem but allows them to stay in the locker room if they prefer. The NFL Players Association last week filed a grievance against the league for imposing a policy that is "inconsistent" with the collective bargaining agreement and "infringes" on player rights. Murphy said he was hopeful of a resolution.

"I've had a lot of conversations with our players," he said. "We really want to put the focus on the underlying issues and we realize our players are patriotic, they don't disrespect the flag, they don't disrespect the country. We're really looking at the underlying issues of racial discrimination, police brutality. We've had discussions with players about putting resources toward some of the causes."

NEXT CBA

Murphy said he also hopes the CBA, which will expire after the 2020 season, can be extended. He said the NFL doesn't have the guaranteed money seen in NBA contracts, though "over the last 10 years or so, a higher percentage of the players' money is guaranteed."

"To me, the best thing about our collective bargaining agreement is the rookie pay is under control. We've got a system in place that I think is working well. More of the money is going to the veterans, who deserve it and have earned it. There were times under the old agreement that the highest paid players in the league were rookies at their positions, which was crazy."

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