Jamal Murray, Nuggets bounce back in Game 3 blowout of Wolves - ESPN

MINNEAPOLIS — Jamal Murray rebounded from a rough start to the Western Conference semifinals with 24 points to lead the Denver Nuggets on a 117-90 romp in Game 3 on Friday night that made the Minnesota Timberwolves the last team in the NBA to lose this postseason.

Nikola Jokic, the three-time league MVP, had 24 points, 14 rebounds and 9 assists, Michael Porter Jr. scored 21 points and the Nuggets cut the Timberwolves' series lead to 2-1 on the strength of their 14-for-29 shooting from 3-point range.

Anthony Edwards had a quiet 19 points to lead the Wolves, who went just 10-for-32 from deep even with a 4-for-5 effort from Karl-Anthony Towns. They failed to get Towns (14 points) enough shots, fumbled the ball too often in desperate attempts to drive to the basket and simply played slower than they did in the first two games in Denver, falling behind by as many as 34 points down the stretch.

Game 4 is in Minneapolis on Sunday night.

The Nuggets became the 30th team in the history of the NBA playoffs to lose the first two games at home in a best-of-seven series, according to Sportradar research. Five of them have rallied to win, most recently the LA Clippers in the first round in 2021.

«You're always testing and finding out about human nature and what guys are made of,» said Nuggets coach Mike Malone, who showed his team a mashup of national TV analysts declaring the series over. «If that doesn't resonate with you as a competitor, I don't know what will.»

This was the step forward Denver badly needed, breaking the 100-point barrier for the first time in three games against Minnesota's NBA-best defense.

Murray, who totaled just 25 points on 9-for-32 shooting with a minus-38 rating over the first two games and drew a $100,000