The defending champions, led by Nikola Jokić, refused to give up easily.

The Denver Nuggets rebounded from a rough start in the Western Conference semifinals with a strong performance on Friday night in Minneapolis. In Game 3, they dominated the Minnesota Timberwolves, winning 117-90. After losing the first two games at Ball Arena in Denver, the win puts them back on track in the series. It also marked the Timberwolves’ first loss of the playoffs, which startled the sellout crowd at the Target Center.

After a tense opening quarter, the Nuggets closed with a fast 12-4 run to take an eight-point edge into halftime. At that point, Denver held the series’ greatest advantage.

From there, Denver took off. The Nuggets started the second period on a 17-5 run, and Christian Braun hit a 3-pointer two minutes in to give them a 20-point lead. The Timberwolves were virtually out of it.

The Nuggets limited Minnesota to 21 points in the second quarter, giving them a 15-point lead at halftime. Karl-Anthony Towns was the only Timberwolves player to reach double figures in the first half, making four 3-pointers. Jamal Murray scored 18 of his 24 points in the first half for Denver, following a bad game in Game 2 that led in a $100,000 fine from the league when he threw stuff on the floor out of fury. The Nuggets simply dominated throughout the first 24 minutes.

The Nuggets then soon increased their advantage to more than 20 points in the third quarter after Aaron Gordon nailed a pair of 3-pointers and Michael Porter Jr. followed with one of his own in less than a minute, effectively putting the Timberwolves away. By the end of the third quarter, the Nuggets had increased their lead to 27 points and were able to complete the game with ease.

Anthony Edwards led the Timberwolves with 19 points, going 8 for 15 from the field. Towns finished with 14 points, while Mike Conley contributed 10 points, six assists, and six rebounds. Minnesota made just 9 of 27 3-pointers. Frustrations boiled over at the end, as Nickeil Alexander-Walker was ejected from the game in the closing minutes after shouting with officials.

Jokić nearly achieved a triple-double to lead the Nuggets. He recorded 24 points, 14 rebounds, and nine assists. Murray finished with 24 points, four assists, and four rebounds, while Porter had 21. The Nuggets shot nearly 54% from the field as a team and little less than 49% from behind the arc.

The Timberwolves absolutely lost control of the game on Friday. Though they still lead the series, Sunday’s Game 4 is significant for a squad that hasn’t been to the Western Conference finals in two decades. If they return to Denver next week knotted 2-2, the series will truly be anyone’s to win.