Nikola Jokic's triple-double gives top-seeded Nuggets commanding 3-0 lead over Timberwolves in first round

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Nikola Jokic had his seventh career triple-double in the playoffs with 20 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists for the Denver Nuggets, who fended off the Minnesota Timberwolves 120-108 to take a 3-0 lead in the first-round NBA playoff series Friday night.

Michael Porter Jr. had 25 points and nine rebounds, and Jamal Murray added 18 points and nine assists as Denver withstood another dashing performance by Minnesota's Anthony Edwards to send a loud crowd of white-shirt-wearing fans home from another frustrating postseason loss.

Game 4 is here Sunday night.

Edwards scored 36 points to raise his series total to 95, Karl-Anthony Towns had 27 points after totaling only 21 points over the first two games and Rudy Gobert had 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Wolves, but a defensive lapse here and a rushed 3-pointer there was enough to seal their fate against a well-rounded Nuggets team that's finally healthy enough for a run at the NBA finals.

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Nikola Jokic, #15 of the Denver Nuggets, looks on during the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves during Round 1 Game 3 of the 2023 NBA Playoffs on April 21, 2023, at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  (David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images)

Bruce Brown had 12 points to lead Denver's 29-10 edge in bench points, and the Nuggets shot a hard-to-beat 57% from the field.

With the Nuggets holding their first 2-0 lead in nine playoff series under Mike Malone, their message from the coach was to keep the throttle on full and not give the underdog Wolves extra confidence.

The Western Conference's top team complied by shooting like its seeding depended