If Game 3 was all about the Denver Nuggets reestablishing themselves as a threat, Game 4 was about them following through on that promise.

The Denver Nuggets defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 115-107 to claim Game 4 and even up the second round series 2-2. The Timberwolves took an early lead, but the Nuggets utilized a late first quarter run to stabilize everything. From then on, the Nuggets and Timberwolves were perpetually stuck between an eight and 20-point margin based off the way shots were going down, and the Nuggets never let go of the rope.

Anthony Edwards was incredible through three quarters for the Timberwolves, scoring 37 of his 44 points in that stretch. He started the fourth quarter slowly and didn’t take many shots in that moment, and that reprieve helped the Nuggets hold on late. Edwards was tremendous, and absolutely nobody could stop him or even deign to slow him down. Fortunately for the Nuggets, it was the Timberwolves and their fourth quarter offensive process that did the job for Denver.

The most important sequence of the game happened right before halftime. The Nuggets led by seven points with 30 seconds left to go, but a three by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope brought the lead back to 10. The Timberwolves had an opportunity to run the clock down, but they turned the ball over, and a Michael Porter Jr. dunk brought the Nuggets lead to 12.

Then, Nickeil Alexander-Walker threw the ball past halfcourt, Jamal Murray intercepted it, and well…you know…Murray did Murray things.

That took the Nuggets lead to 15, and the Wolves never truly recovered after that. They got the Nuggets lead down to as little as six points, late, but every time the Wolves went on a run, the Nuggets answered with a big play or two of their own.

Nikola Jokic was at the center of it all, dominating in his own way with 35 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists. There were points throughout the game when it looked like Jokic was seeing the matrix, scoring through double teams, whipping passes to open teammates, and shooting his floater juuuuust over the outstretched fingertips of Rudy Gobert.

Jokic is starting to really see the floor against the Timberwolves, and he generated great shots for himself. He only shot 15-of-26 from the floor, but it absolutely could have been 20-of-26 with where he was shooting most of the time. The Timberwolves are going to have to mix up coverages even more than they are now, because Jokic is finding a comfort level when he’s out there.

The Big Serbian got into foul trouble in the middle of the third quarter though, and was forced to sit for the final six minutes of the third. The Nuggets had to hold on for dear life, but they were able to do it behind an all-around effort from their team, including Aaron Gordon.

“I thought Aaron Gordon was the MVP of the game. He was incredible,” Malone shared. “He started off on Karl-Anthony Towns, switched him on to Anthony Edwards, making shots, rebounding, just playmaking, he did everything. Aaron has been just incredible for us. Gotta give him a lot of love cause he’s fully deserving of it.”

Gordon was incredible tonight. He had 27 points on 11-of-12 from the field, 2-of-2 from three, and 3-of-3 from the line. He was absolutely locked in and found ways to impact the game across the board, but it was his scoring that was so deflating to the Timberwolves. Almost every single shot he put up found the bottom of the net. He barely touched the rim, and he was taking jumpers, fallaways, fighting through contact, and more. He added seven rebounds, six assists, and three stocks to what was a masterful performance, perhaps the best playoff game of his NBA career.

 Murray started the game as a facilitator and then transitioned into a scorer once he saw that halfcourt shot go down. After halftime, he could not miss for the majority of the third quarter. Several of his shots were high difficulty looks, and he still found a way to get it done from every spot on the floor. Murray finished with 19 points and eight assists, though he did finish the game slowly once again with zero points in the fourth. There may be a limit to his effectiveness from a physical standpoint with that left calf injury late in games.

Outside of those three, both of Michael Porter Jr. and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope struggled shooting tonight, so it was a great thing that the Nuggets had their bench step up big time. Justin Holiday was a laser in the first half, finishing with 10 points on 3-of-5 from three-point range. Holiday led the team with a +11 plus-minus, and it was entirely deserved. His minutes continue to be productive and impactful on both ends of the floor.

Christian Braun closed the game for the Nuggets tonight, guarding Anthony Edwards and making some plays offensively. Braun is an absolute gamer, and the three-pointer he hit was a big deal in the middle of the fourth quarter. The T’Wolves had to run off Gordon in the right corner because he was splashing threes, but they left Braun open on the right wing, and he hit a clutch shot to extend Denver’s lead and force a timeout.

Reggie Jackson also hit a three and drew a charge in the first quarter to help Denver reclaim the lead in the first place. Everyone played a part, and the Nuggets are in a great spot because they’re getting production and impact from their entire eight-man rotation.

The Nuggets are back. The series is tied 2-2 with Game 5 going back to Denver on Tuesday.

The Timberwolves can certainly play better than they did. Karl-Anthony Towns had a mini meltdown tonight, and the execution from the Timberwolves on both ends of the floor looked really awkward, outside of when Edwards had the ball. They will most likely be better going forward, especially getting into a do-or-die situation later in the series. Of course, this is the most amount of pressure the Timberwolves have felt all playoffs, having swept the Phoenix Suns with ease in the first round. How the Timberwolves respond to the mounting pressure will be fascinating.

With the Nuggets, you know how they’re going to react. They’re built for pressure. They could have given up, but they didn’t. They stuck together as a team, found ways to be better together, and relied on each other for this comeback in Minneapolis. There’s room for Denver to improve too, but they’ve established a new level for the series, and it’s on Minnesota to match them now.

“Well, we got home court advantage back so now we gotta just do it on our home floor,” Gordon shared postgame. “I love how our group responded with our backs against the wall. We put ourselves in a good position, now we need to take advantage of it.”

Of course, that’s easier said than done when the Nuggets have the best chemistry in the league. How can you not love what Nikola Jokic and Aaron Gordon bring to the table?

“We came up here trying to get two and now we got home court back,” Malone declared. “We have to go home and protect our home court. We can’t allow them to get a third win at Ball Arena. That’s a message to our fans to come out and make that place an absolute zoo come whatever night we’re playing.”

We will see.

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