Jaden McDaniels spearheaded a dominant defensive performance, and reserve Ayo Dosunmu contributed a team-high 25 points as the Minnesota Timberwolves cruised to a 113-96 victory over the Denver Nuggets in Game 3 of their Western Conference first-round playoff series on Thursday night in Minneapolis.

With the win, the Timberwolves take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series, with Game 4 scheduled for Saturday night in Minneapolis.

"This is a playoff series," said Nuggets coach David Adelman. "There are so many ups and downs. The bottom line is, it's first to four. We have another opportunity in a couple of days to regain control and take it back to Denver the right way."

McDaniels finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds, while Anthony Edwards added 17 points for the sixth-seeded Timberwolves. Minnesota opened the game strong, scoring 14 of the first 18 points, and never let up.

Meanwhile, Jamal Murray struggled throughout the game, shooting just 5-for-17 from the field and failing to make any of his five 3-point attempts, finishing with only 16 points. Nuggets star Nikola Jokic led his team with 27 points and 15 rebounds, but he, too, had an off night, going 7-for-26 from the field and missing eight of his 10 3-point attempts.

The Nuggets' shooting woes were evident as they finished the game with just 34.1% shooting from the field, their lowest of the season, and a mere 25.0% from beyond the arc, hitting only 8 of 32 attempts.

"We came out and played ferocious," Dosunmu said. "We played together; we played hard. We held them to under 100 points in the playoffs. They're the No. 1 offensive team in the season."

Minnesota set the tone from the opening tip, showing an intensity on defense that Denver could not match. In the first half, the Timberwolves stifled the Nuggets’ offense, limiting them to just 39 points and holding them to 3-for-15 (20.0%) from three-point range.

The Nuggets were sluggish early, scoring only four points in the first seven minutes. Minnesota capitalized on the opportunity, racing to a 14-4 lead. McDaniels played a key role in the early surge, contributing seven points in that run, including a three-point play on a dunk.

By the end of the first quarter, the Timberwolves had stretched their lead to 25-11, and by halftime, they were ahead by as many as 23 points. The Nuggets fought back in the second half, but the closest they came was cutting the deficit to 12 points with just under two minutes remaining.

Rudy Gobert added a double-double with 10 points and a team-high 12 rebounds, while Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo chipped in 15 points each. DiVincenzo also dished out a game-high seven assists.

Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 11 points and Zeke Nnaji contributed 10 off the bench for the Nuggets, who were without key players Aaron Gordon (tight left calf) and Peyton Watson (strained left hamstring). Denver, which was held under 100 points only twice during the regular season, found little success against Minnesota's relentless defense.

As the series continues, the Timberwolves will look to maintain their defensive dominance and take a commanding 3-1 series lead when they face the Nuggets again on Saturday.

-Field Level Media/Reuters