MINNEAPOLIS — JaVale McGee scored 19 points to help the Denver Nuggets lock down the sixth seed in the Western Conference playoffs with a 131-102 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday night.

Denver does seem to be playing some of its best basketball after a rough couple of weeks integrating McGee in the trade that sent longtime center Nene to Washington. The super-athletic McGee has scored in double figures in the last four games and his 19 points on Thursday night were his most in a Nuggets uniform.

The outcome on Thursday night wasn’t in doubt for very long. Coach George Karl rested forward Al Harrington, who has a strained right knee. But he played all the other regulars in their final tuneup, and the Nuggets were off and running from the start.

They outscored the Timberwolves 16-4 to start the second quarter, opening up a 45-29 lead that was never really threatened. Denver shot 63 percent and out-rebounded the Wolves 48-29.

Wolves coach Rick Adelman has been very unhappy with how his young team has responded to a rash of injuries to starters Ricky Rubio (knee), Kevin Love (concussion) and Luke Ridnour (ankle). Adelman went through a similar situation in Houston when stars Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming were lost.

“We never had a downer like we had here,” Adelman said. “That’s something we have to look at.”

Most of the Wolves wore headbands in warmups and in the game, a tribute to veteran center Brad Miller, who is retiring after 14 seasons in the league. But that was about all the interest they showed in being on the floor on Thursday night.

Miller air-balled two shots in the first quarter and had an ugly turnover, but he did hit a 3-pointer in the fourth and got a hearty cheer from the sparse home crowd. He finished with four points, four rebounds and four assists.

Miller left the game with five minutes to go, getting a standing ovation from the crowd and breaking into tears on the bench when he was swarmed by teammates.