Nuggets teach Timberwolves it's never easy to knock out the champion

With their backs against the wall in Game 4, the Denver Nuggets showed exactly why they are the reigning NBA champions. The Minnesota Timberwolves – who entered the weekend at home and riding high with a 2-0 series lead – are now being forced to learn one valuable lesson: It's never easy to knock out a champion.      

Once the dust settled on the embarrassment of Game 2, Denver had two options – fold and let the new bully on the block dethrone them at home or respond and get back into the series. HC Michael Malone's team picked the latter, closing the weekend with the series tied.  

And while it took a full team effort to win two games in Minnesota, Denver knew their legendary center was going to have to wake up if they had any hopes of a return trip to the NBA Finals. Fortunately for the Nuggets, they got what they needed and then some. 

After one of the worst playoff games of his career in Game 2, scoring only 16 points while shooting just 5-of-13 from the field, Nikola Jokic woke up and showed why he was awarded his third MVP this season. On Friday in Game 3, Jokic scored 24 points and finished one assist shy of a triple-double. He also followed his -16 from Game 2 with a +30 night. Jokic's efforts led Denver to a dominating 117-90 win. He didn't do it alone, either.  

Jamal Murray, who managed to avoid suspension after throwing multiple items on the court earlier in the week, scored 24, a big jump back to form after only eight off a 3-for-18 game. Denver avoided further embarrassment and a sweep thanks to its two stars and production from the rest of the lineup as well. But that was only one game and the Timberwolves still held a 2-1 series lead. 

The pressure remained on the champions on Sunday, but the Nuggets followed a solid Game 3 with an even better showing in a Mother's Day Game 4. Jokic had his best game of the series, scoring 35 points in 39 minutes. He connected on 15-of-26 shots and added seven rebounds and seven assists. Murray showed up again with 19, too, but it was Aaron Gordon playing the role of Jokic's co-star on this night. 

Gordon had an almost perfect game from an efficiency perspective, scoring 27 while only missing one of his 12 field goal attempts. Add seven boards and six assists and Gordon delivered a performance that will live in Nuggets lore forever. 

To add insult to injury for Minnesota, all of this happened despite Anthony Edwards continuing to impose his will on the Nuggets defense. The Timberwolves wasted a 44-point game from Edwards on Sunday, falling 115-107.

Unfortunately for Edwards, he wasn't able to enjoy the kind of support the Nuggets provided Jokic. Karl-Anthony Towns scored only 13, giving him just 27 points in both games throughout the weekend combined. Even though he did help with 12 rebounds, Towns needs to contribute more offensively for the Timberwolves franchise to reach its first conference finals in two decades. Mike Conley's 15 was an improvement from his recent struggles, but it took 12 shots to achieve those 15 points. 

The series now enters a new week all tied up as the conversation shifts from a Denver obituary to the defending champions getting their mojo back.