Nuggets roll in Game 3, focused on finishing sweep of Wolves

MINNEAPOLIS — After the Denver Nuggets defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 3 of their first-round series on Friday night, their focus shifted to doing something that has never been accomplished in franchise history: a playoff sweep.

The Nuggets' 120-111 win gave them a 3-0 series lead, putting them in position to finish the job on Sunday.

«Up 3-0, our mindset right now is — no disrespect to the T-Wolves because this is about us — but we don't want to go back to Denver,» Nuggets coach Michael Malone said.

Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, who finished with 20 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds for his seventh career triple-double, said Denver didn't want to take its foot off the gas after taking the first two games of the series at home. He scoffed at the notion that the Nuggets didn't need to win Game 3, saying it didn't make any sense to him.

«We didn't wanna give them life,» Jokic said. «We wanted to be the aggressor. We wanted to punch them first. They need to react to us. That was our plan. I think we did a good job.»

If Denver wins Game 4, it would be the first sweep in franchise playoff history in a series of any length. This is only the second time the Nuggets have been up 3-0 in a series, going back to the 2009 conference semifinals against the Dallas Mavericks. They dropped Game 4 in Dallas before bouncing back and finishing off the series in Game 5.

The Nuggets are one of four franchises without a series sweep in their franchise history, joining the LA Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies and the Timberwolves — who are looking to avoid being swept for the first time in a seven-game series.

«We know to close out a series a lot of times can be the hardest game,» Malone said. «I'm hoping that we can find a way. Don't