It only took the guy on LinkedIn to connect the Nuggets.
It only took a blast from the past to brighten their future.
It only took three games, two insults and one kerfuffle for the Nuggets to fight back.
Now, that wasn’t so hard, was it?
With the season on the brink after a pair of road losses so ugly it led to questions about their manhood, the Nuggets put in their bloody mouthpiece and punched the Timberwolves in the teeth.
The 125-113 victory extended the season to a Game 6 on Thursday at Target Center, where Denver has had a bull’s eye on its back for two years.
No one will expect them to win, but everything seems possible again with Denver awakening from its offensive coma because of the likes of Spencer Jones, Mr. Network Associate, and Bruce Brown, a ring-bearing reserve clause.
Jamal Murray (27) of the Denver Nuggets flexes after a gutsy possession in which he grabbed multiple rebounds before scoring while being fouled by Ayo Dosunmu (13) of the Minnesota Timberwolves during the third quarter of game five of their NBA Playoffs series on Monday, April 27, 2026. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)
Amazing the difference a few physical screens, hard fouls and a battery of thunderous dunks make.
The Nuggets returned to Ball Arena, Rocky’s tail between their legs.
They were emasculated and embarrassed in Minnesota.
They failed to put Jaden McDaniels in his place or shut his mouth.
And when Nikola Jokic confronted the role player — let’s be clear, that is what he is — over a bush league bucket with 1.3 seconds remaining, the three-time MVP became the subject of deserving ridicule.
Why wait until an unwritten rule is broken to show heart? Why take out frustration at that moment over a shooting slump?
The healing and scrapping arrived from the outset on Monday, the players showing the resolve Nuggets Nation has been pleading for since the Game 2 collapse.
This wasn’t a must-win. It was a must-everything. And when the sellout crowd chanted “Jaden Sucks!” with 10 minutes remaining, it was obvious the Nuggets’ battering style worked.
Jonas Valanciunas — remember him? — went nose-to-nose with McDaniels in the fourth quarter, drawing a technical as part of a box score that featured nine points and one block.
Christian Braun slammed in transition, hung on the rim and pointed at McDaniels, drawing a T.
Christian Braun (0) of the Denver Nuggets dunks over Jaden McDaniels (3) of the Minnesota Timberwolves during the third quarter of game five of their NBA Playoffs series on Monday, April 27, 2026. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)
This is the price of doing business, of sending the message the front office wanted to see after Denver fizzled in Game 4 despite the Timberwolves losing star Anthony Edwards (hyperextended knee) and spark plug Donte DiVincenzo (torn Achilles) for the series.
The Nuggets seemed unbothered by the taunts, by the slights, uninspired by their good fortune. Willingly or not, Jokic set the tone with his monotone approach. And his teammates followed suit.
With a loss ending the season, urgency became the default setting, activating anger necessary to stand nose-to-nose with the mouthy Wolves.
Jamal Murray credited energy and focus. It started with Jokic. Perhaps aware of the criticism of the worst playoff series of his career, Jokic responded with aggression.
“I have been here before,” Jokic said. “We had to be extremely locked in for an elimination game.”
Rather than settle for 3s, he went right at Rudy Gobert, who seemed to be struggling with the altitude issues in the first quarter. Jokic made 3 of his first 6 shots. Murray drained 3 of 5. After the pair combined to miss 18 of 24 attempts in the second half on Saturday, they went 18-for-38 overall for 51 points.
And they were, in many ways, an afterthought.
It was The Other Guys who delivered. It was The Other Guys who turned passive into personal.
Jones lived in McDaniels’ jersey early on, and provided 20 points, including back-to-back 3s in the third that opened a 69-54 lead.
“Some guys want opportunities,” coach David Adelman said. “Some people take them.”
Brown converted a layup in transition at the end of the first, and let Naz Reid know about it. And in case there was any confusion with the verbal barrage, Brown flexed and screamed after a second-quarter dunk.
Tyus Jones — yes, he is still on the team — provided clean minutes at point guard, loosening the vice grip on Murray and creating an avenue to involve Valanciunas on screen and rolls.
They were running through people. They were slamming into them. They were yelling at them.
At one point, Murray turned the ball over, hustled from out of bounds to swipe it back, missed a bank shot, and rebounded through a sea of arms to muscle up a successful jumper.
These are the moments that have been missing for the last week.
There were plenty of explanations for the 3-1 hole — Aaron Gordon’s injury, Adelman’s coaching, the Timberwolves’ defense — but the most obvious was this: the Nuggets were wilting in the spotlight.
Jonas Valanciunas (17) of the Denver Nuggets reacts after drawing a foul from Jaylen Clark (22) of the Minnesota Timberwolves during the fourth quarter of the Nuggets’ 125-113 win in game five of their NBA Playoffs series on Monday, April 27, 2026. The Timberwolves lead 3-2 as they head back to Minneapolis for game six. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)
A franchise defined in the clutch since 2023 was suddenly dropping the transmission.
It all came back on Monday night, but not without adjustments. Adelman made the pregame decision to use a deeper bench, and it paid dividends with points and punks of McDaniels.
It took until their pinkie toes were dangling over the cliff, but the Nuggets returned to the level that saw them win the series opener. While Adelman insists their defense has been fine, it was improved in Game 5, featuring noticeable physicality.
McDaniels was the most affected, boos cascading down every time he touched the ball. He missed six of 11 shots and committed four turnovers.
Offensively, the balance allowed Jokic and Murray to level up. The bench gave a punch with 27 points. And they came in all fashions — from Jones’ long-range darts to Brown’s slams.
“A lot of times, the focus is on Jokic and Jamal, and for them to show trust and swing it to me, the belief is there,” Jones said. “The process is the process. I am trying to take advantage of my skills.”
Everything was different. Even Adelman’s personality. He was short in his postgame presser, kind of an (blank) if we were being honest.
This is the mood the Nuggets need.
“I think we can win in a multitude of ways,” Jones said. “You just have to bring it sometimes, going from playing pretty to dirty.”
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