Sam Cassell added 15 points and Trenton Hassell scored 14 for the top-seeded Timberwolves, who took a 3-1 stranglehold in the best-of-seven set.
"We are not playing our best right now, but we are beating them," said Garnett. "We have to continue to stay confident and stay with each other and that is what we did."
Minnesota, which has never won a first-round playoff series in its previous seven tries, won a road postseason game for only the fourth time in the franchise’s history (4-14).
"We knew that this series was not going to be an easy series," said Minnesota head coach Flip Saunders. "Coming into this series, I expected Denver to play well and we knew expected a long series."
The Timberwolves played without forward Wally Szczerbiak, who is expected to miss at least the rest of the series with three transverse process fractures of his lumbar spine.
Voshon Lenard netted a game-high 28 points as he drained 6-of-7 three-point tries for the Nuggets, who have the unenviable task of being forced to win the final three games of the series to advance to the second round.
Denver rookie Carmelo Anthony, who was bothered by a sprained left knee that caused him to miss some time in the third quarter, struggled all night as he scored only two points on a dismal 1-of-16 shooting.
"We will have to evaluate him tomorrow and we will see," said Denver head coach Jeff Bzdelik. "He needs to move a little bit better without the basketball."
Game 5 is scheduled for Friday night at the Target Center.
The Timberwolves began the fourth leading by three, but they scored the first five points — all by Fred Hoiberg — to claim a 71-63 lead.
The margin hung around six to eight points over the next several minutes. However, Andre Miller’s driving layup with 5:11 remaining cut the deficit to 75-71. Marcus Camby’s three-point play moments later trimmed the deficit to 76-74, but Minnesota then scored the next five points to make it 81-74 with 3:16 left in the game.
Lenard’s three-pointer with 2:05 remaining cut the margin to 81-77 and Garnett then turned the ball. On the ensuing possession, Lenard buried another three, his sixth of the game, to make it 81-80.
"Our players fought and played hard, (but) just did not play well enough," said Bzdelik.
Latrell Sprewell countered with a three from the right corner with 1:02 remaining to restore a four-point edge. After each team missed, Nene threw down a mammoth dunk with 18.7 seconds left to bring his club within 84-82.
Sprewell was then fouled with 12.1 seconds to play and the veteran uncharacteristically missed both shots. Denver grabbed the rebound and immediately called timeout with 11.4 seconds to set up a final shot.
Miller received the inbounds pass, but missed a runner in the lane. However, the rebound got batted around and Lenard came up with it, but his off-balance attempt was off the mark as time expired.
"There is no quit in that team (Denver)," said Saunders.
After the game, fans began throwing debris on the floor as they voiced their displeasure about the outcome. There was also a brief scuffle that broke out at center court between some of the players, but it was quickly broken up.
"We won’t be back (in Denver) so we won’t have to go through that again," said Sprewell."
Denver jumped out to a 9-4 lead on Camby’s jumper with around seven minutes left in the first quarter, but the Timberwolves scored five straight points to tie the game. The rest of the quarter remained tight and the score was tied at 20-20 after one.
The Nuggets opened up a 31-24 lead on Jon Barry’s three-pointer nearly four minutes into the second quarter, but Minnesota battled back and pulled within 33-32 on a basket by Garnett. Hoiberg’s basket in the closing seconds tied the score and the teams went into the intermission knotted at 36-36.
Garnett scored 13 points and grabbed seven rebounds for the Timberwolves, who made 42 percent of their shots in the first half (13-of-31). Lenard had 12 points to pace Denver, which hit on just 16-of-47 from the field in the opening 24 minutes (34 percent).
"In order for us to win, I had to initiate," said Garnett.
The Nuggets were tied despite the fact that the All-Rookie First-Team selection Anthony did not score and went 0-for-9 from the field.
In the third quarter, Denver built a 43-38 lead on a pair of free throws by Camby with 10:29 left in the period. The Timberwolves responded, though, with a 13-2 spurt, highlighted by six from Hassell, to claim a 51-45 advantage. Shortly after, Anthony briefly left the game with a knee injury, but the Nuggets guard returned later in the period.
Minnesota did build its lead to 64-55 with 1:20 left in the third, but it held just a 66-63 lead after 36 minutes.
Denver Nuggets 
Minnesota Timberwolves 
