Nikola Jokić and the Denver Nuggets entered Game 3 against the Minnesota Timberwolves desperately needing a win. The team’s effort Saturday clearly showed that.
The Nuggets dominated in Minnesota, taking a 56-41 halftime lead and building on it to take a 115-90 victory and cut the series deficit to 2-1.
The series has been tougher than anticipated for the No. 1 seeded Nuggets, but Game 3 showed the team what fans were more accustomed to seeing.
Jokić and Jamal Murray each had 24 points, which led Denver. Michael Porter Jr. was next with 21 points, while Aaron Gordon had 13 and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope rounded out the starting five with 12 points.
The Timberwolves were led by Anthony Edwards, who had 19 points, five assists and six rebounds. Karl-Anthony Towns had 14 points, five rebounds and three assists while Mike Conley and Jayden McKnight had 10 points each.
The focus on the night was Jokić’s dominance, as his 24 points were accompanied by 14 rebounds and nine assists. This was his best all-around performance of the series and comes just two days after he earned his third MVP award in the last four seasons.
Fans took to social media to praise Jokić and the Nuggets as a whole for the return to excellence:
While the win could serve as a reset for the Nuggets, the team needs to keep its foot on the gas in order to stay alive.
It still has the daunting task of earning a second road victory over Minnesota. While the Timberwolves had a difficult night, another performance like that should be considered unlikely.
Denver will look to even the series at two and avoid a challenging 3-1 deficit in Game 4. That game will tip-off Sunday at 8 p.m. ET.
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