MINNEAPOLIS — On a night the Nuggets started without one and a half key players, the Timberwolves finished without two.

They were unfazed. Injuries only made them more territorial in their building. Denver couldn’t pull away from them, not after Donte DiVincenzo was helped off with a torn right Achilles tendon, and not after star guard Anthony Edwards hyperextended his left knee late in the first half. Ayo Dosunmu replaced Edwards as the recipient of “M-V-P” chants. Minnesota gnashed its teeth. The Nuggets’ season caved in on them. They were caught in the hellacious trap of a rivalry they cannot emotionally control.

Frustrations boiled over in the game’s final seconds after Nikola Jokic took issue with Jaden McDaniels adding an extra, uncontested bucket on a runout as the clock wound down. Jokic ran the length of the floor and confronted McDaniels in front of the Timberwolves’ bench, leading to a scrum between the two teams as Nuggets players ran to Jokic’s defense. Julius Randall and Jokic were both ejected from the game.

If Edwards is unable to return in this series, the Nuggets' chances might not be completely dead. But when their ability to capitalize on Minnesota’s injuries was tested in Game 4, they were not up to the task. With a 112-96 loss, they’re on the brink of first-round elimination for the first time since 2022, down 3-1 to the unforgiving Timberwolves.

Dosunmu scored 43 points on 13-of-17 shooting off the bench. Jamal Murray led Denver with his third 30-point game of the series, but he needed 25 shot attempts to get there as Jaden McDaniels hounded him. Jokic fizzled after a fast start, finishing the night with 24 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists.

The Nuggets never scored fewer than 100 points this regular season when Jokic played. They fell short of the century mark twice in a row in Games 3 and 4 — twin duds in the Twin Cities.

Game 5 is Monday (8:30 p.m. MT) at Ball Arena. “Wolves in five” chants broke out by the end of the night at Target Center, an ominous send-off from Minnesota’s fans.

The Nuggets led 54-50 at halftime as those fans regrouped, shell-shocked. DiVincenzo’s non-contact injury was already staggering enough. But Edwards had just landed hard after attempting to block a shot. All of his weight came down on his left leg. He tried to spring back to his feet, as he so often does. His healing powers were no match for this injury, though. He was helped off the court with a limp, never to return.

His team’s bench was defiant. Dosunmu drove the ship in straight lines, as fast as he could. Naz Reid had words and a shoulder for Tim Hardaway Jr. early in the third quarter; he was happy to exchange technical fouls if it meant he was established as the bully, not his opponent. Reid and Dosunmu combined for 60 points. The Timberwolves defended the length of the floor and irritated Denver. They won the third quarter by eight, flipping the score on the No. 3 seed in the West.

Aaron Gordon was playing through left calf tightness for the Nuggets, visibly unable to explode of his leg. At one point, Jokic forgot. He tried to loft an alley-oop to his power forward, only for the pass to fall into Gordon’s waiting hands at ground level. He ended up scoring on the possession, but it was a moment indicative of a sudden, inexplicable disconnect in the NBA’s best offense.

Jokic began the game on a warpath, moving Rudy Gobert out of the way and rebounding his own misses en route to 10 first-quarter points. But Gobert wore him down throughout the night. Won the 50-50 rebounds. Contested everything, enough to bother the three-time MVP eventually. When Gobert was off the floor in the third quarter, Denver didn’t punish Minnesota’s lack of a worthy second interior defender. Jokic didn’t impose himself.

And everything else around him was stilted. Murray was out of rhythm, again. Cam Johnson and Christian Braun were anonymous, again. Denver’s 3-point efficiency — the highest in the league during the regular season — completely plummeted, again. Tim Hardaway Jr. missed one off the side of the backboard with five minutes to go, a shot the basketball gods might as well have pushed off target. Hardaway shot 41% from deep this season.

Jokic’s impatience with himself and his surroundings showed in his decision-making as the game spiraled out of control. After Dosunmu buried a fourth-quarter floater, the Serbian center recklessly launched a 50-foot pass that stood no chance. Mike Conley — a player the Timberwolves waived this February in order to eventually sign back for a cheaper salary cap figure — intercepted the desperate pass. His energy was invaluable throughout the second half as he replaced Edwards in the starting unit.

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